Bait On The Hook
by KenziesMom
Summary: Summary: Ranger has to kidnap the sister of a noted killer to use her as bait to capture the brother when he escapes from prison where he was sentence for the murders of his parents and attempted murder of his sister... Seems the man has also threaten to
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Ranger has to kidnap the sister of a noted killer to use her as bait to capture the brother when he escapes from prison where he was sentence for the murders of his parents and attempted murder of his sister... Seems the man has also threaten to kill Stephanie since she was the one who captured him and turned him into the police after helping his sister get away...

DISCLAIMOR: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor.. The rest I just wanted to have fun with... My first attempt at this so please bear with me...

Chapter One

Callie Taylor knew as soon as she came awake, something was wrong. The room was to hot. The curtain on the left side of the room, that she usually left cracked open a bit to allow in the night air, was closed, as was the window behind it. Even her sleep crazed mind registered that fact, because she couldn't hear the noise of the cars that usually drove by this time of night.

She force herself to slowly open her eyes to look around the part of the room she could see and noticed the outline of a large shape in the corner chair where no large black shape should have been. The shape began to move as the man stood up and began to come towards her. Fear filled her. It felt like the old nightmare was coming alive again. She tensed and the slight movement must had alerted him that she was awake, because he was on her before she could try to escape off the other side of the bed. Something warm and very solid fell across her body, effectively pinning her to the bed. She tried to use her knee to disable him, but he had been prepared for the move and with in seconds had his legs wrapped around hers rendering them useless. Her hands, he held captive above her head in one of his. The other hand was covering her mouth in a firm but surprisingly gentle touch. It didn't fool her for a moment. She sensed those hands could turn deadly just as quick.

"If you do not want me to hurt you, will lay still and listen to what I have to say. I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to give me an answer," a soft but firm voice growled near her ear. He was so close she could feel the warmth of his breath caressing the side of her cheek as he spoke. "I'm not interested in you. I want that scum sucking brother of yours, and you're going to tell me where he is then I'll leave you in peace. Now I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth and you would be smart not to try anything.. Just tell me where he is."

The girl was scared. The hold he had on her wasn't hurtful, even though he was using the weigh of his body to hold her pinned to the bed. He was using just enough pressure to keep her from escaping. But would that change when she told him she didn't know where Drew was? That she hadn't seen him in over three years and had no reason to want to see that bastard ever again... And every reason in the world not to ever want to see his sorry ass ever. The last time she had heard anything about him, she had been told by a cop friend of hers that wouldn't be able to harass her for a very long time. Drew Taylor had been sentence to 25 to life for the murder of their parents... And damn near killing her.

"I'm waiting.." the soft but deadly voice murmured again.

"He's in jail. Has been for the last two years," her voice came out sounding shaky as her fear leaked through. "Look for him there. If he owes you money then you're out of luck coming to me... I don't have any."

"Good try, but I know about the insurance money you received.. and I know your brother escaped from prison last week and is on his way here to see you," the voice said, as his body shifted slightly pressing hers deeper into the bed beneath her. For the first time she detected a slight accent in his tone. She couldn't see his face, it was to dark in the room, but his body pressing against hers was solid and hard. "We know he has been in touch with you... several e-mails he sent from the prison were traced to a computer in this home... So again.. where is he?"

I don't know what you're talking about! I haven't received any e-mails form Drew. I haven't talked to him or had any contact since he tried to kill me!" she cried, in a near panic. It couldn't be true. If Drew was out of jail then she had to get out of there. He'd said he'd find her and finish the job he'd started for her betrayal. Her eyes opened wide in shock and the man couldn't help but noticed she seemed petrified all the sudden. He could feel her body shaking in .. fear? "My brother tried to kill me... he killed our parents.. so why in the hell would I be in contact with him now!"

A good actress, he questioned, or was her fear for real? He didn't have time to find out. He had to find Drew Taylor before he could kill someone the man cared for.

"I hear you're a very forgiving sister.. you didn't even testify against the brother you claimed tried to kill you.. Seems a bit strange and suspicious to me... so you would do well to tell me the truth now... or later I might not be so –nice- when I ask," he warned, whispering in her ear. The feel of his warm lips moving against her cheek sent shivers through her body causing her to whimper. "Last chance to do this the easy way... I tried to be nice.. but if I don't hear what I want to hear from you.. I can't be nice any longer."

Where as Drew had hurt her body, those injuries had heal.. Not so the scars his betrayal had left on her heart and soul. This man.. He could hurt her a lot worse then her brother had. She knew that somehow even though his touch had yet to actually hurt her.

"I can't tell you what you want to hear," she whisper in a defeated tone, knowing her words were going to anger the man. "I just know I have to get away from here before he gets here if what you say is true. I didn't testify against Drew because the D.A. said he had enough evidence against him dealing with the death of my parents. Besides Drew had some of his men out looking for me to stop me from testifying using whatever means they had too. The D.A. felt it would be better if I didn't show up."

She heard/felt the man sigh, and could almost believe by the tone of his voice when he spoke again that he was disappointed in her rather then mad.

"You're not going to make this easy on yourself, are you?" she could see the outline of his head shaking slowly from side to side. "I could convince you to co-operate with just a little more time. But time is up. We've been in here to long already..."

Hope flared inside her. Was he really going to leave?

Yes.. and No. He was leaving alright, but she soon understood that he wasn't about to leave her behind. "Time to take this party elsewhere," he said and then something covered her mouth and nose and seconds later everything went black. She just wasn't going to be awake when he took her with him.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMOR: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor.. The rest I'm just trying to have some fun with... This is my first story so please bear with me...

Thank you for the kind reviews!

Chapter Two

When she awoke for the second time she knew she hadn't been dreaming the events of the night before. Fear flooded her mind anew when she found she couldn't move. It didn't take her long to find out why. She was laying on a long leather chair, something reminding her of a dentist chair with her arms tied down at the wrist to arm rests and there was another band across her chest. Both her ankles were also strapped down, effectively leaving her at the mercy of the man who had attacked her in her apartment.

"Are you ready now to answer my questions?"

She lifted her eyes and saw him for the first time. He was lounging in a chair in front of her. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, strong powerful looking arms crossed over a massive chest, but it was his face and eyes that caught her attention. Had she been walking down a street, or in a restaurant and seen him.. she most defiantly would have given him a second or even a third look. He was just that good looking... but she also sensed in him a very dangerous side. He was dressed all in black from head to foot, even his hair and eyes were dark in color.

When the silence in the room finally became to much for her she asked, "Where am I?" her words came out slightly slurred. She sounded as well as felt lightly drunk. Must be what ever her had given her to knock her out.

He didn't say anything, just sat there watching her. It was unnerving. She wanted to scream. Wanted to hit him and might have tried if she could have gotten her hands free. Then she had second thoughts.. Hitting him might not have been a good idea... Something told her he just might be the type to hit back.

Slowly she became aware of her surroundings. Looking around at the room, suddenly seemed like a better idea then having a stare down contest with the silent hunk of danger seated across the small room form her. The room she was in was maybe 10 x 16 feet wide with walls made out of cinder blocks painted an ugly beige color. The only pieces of furniture in the room were the chair she was tied too that resembled a dentist chair, and the straight back chair the man seated in.

"You got ripped off by your interior designer if this was all they came up with," she quipped dryly, just to hear the sound of her own voice. "No imagination. Lousy color choice. What were they trying for... early American drab?"

Still he said nothing, just stared at her. She could detect no emotion in his face. Stone face.. that's what he reminded her of. A dark cocoa colored stone like she had used as the center piece in her garden. She wondered how long he was going to just sit there and stare at her. Waiting was never something she was good at. She just didn't know how to make herself act like a stone. She was more like one of those birds who flitted around squawking out a sound every two seconds. Which was about how long she could keep quiet when she was awake.

Hell for all she knew she even talked in her sleep!

"Why are you doing this to me? I told you I don't know where Drew is... Hate him anyway." She cried when she couldn't stand the silence any longer. "Damn it! Why won't you believe that I don't know where he is!"

"I might have believed you if we didn't have the proof of the e-mails and records of your visits to you brother in prison," he said in that same dangerously soft tone of voice he had used when he had her pinned to the bed in her apartment.

She looked confused now. The man wasn't making any sense. "I do..don't know what you're talking about. I never went to see him once. Much less e-mailed him. The man tried to kill me for Christ sakes. He DID kill my parents. Does that sound like the kind of brother someone would go have a family reunion with?"

He gave her a full on smiled that seemed to say 'yeah right tell me another one. At the same time shaking his head slightly as if disappointed again with her answer.

"Maybe he was coming to see you so you two could split the insurance money you received from your parent's policy," he quipped without humor. "I hear you made out very well. Enough so you quit your job and buy a new house under a new name."

"The new name was so I could hide from Drew and his friends. The new house was so they didn't know where I lived. I'd have been a real idiot to stay in the same house I was in when Drew took a big knife to me six times... Don't you think?" she rolled her eyes as if explaining things to an idiot for the tenth time.

He went silent again. Stone face was back. This time she bit the inside of her lip to keep her mouth from opening and saying something she might regret. She's already tried the truth and that didn't seem to work. Being sarcastic probably wouldn't go over every well.

"I tried to be nice.." he told her, and for the first time she thought she could detect a bit of frustration in his tone.

'Score one for me,' she thought, then took it back a second later when he spoke again. His words reminded her this wasn't some game, and they weren't keeping score.

"I told you back at your place if you didn't tell me what I wanted to know, then I couldn't play Nice with you any longer," he drawled in a tone that reminded her of her father the time he asked her if she had broken the plate glass in the back of the house. She had lied and blamed it on Drew. Drew had gotten punished for it and after wards she had felt so guilty she had confessed to her father. "I know," he had told her... and she had felt two inches tall at the time.. He had let her know he was disappointed in her... and then made her do all Drew's chores for a month.

"I don't have any more time to waste playing games with you, since being Nice didn't work... We go to plan B." he told her.

"Wha..what.. is Plan B?" she dared to ask, hoping it didn't involve pain. She was such a wimp when it came to painful things.

"Bobby!" the man turned his head towards the door and called out a name. The sharp loud sound making her jump in fright before he stood slowly and moved to the side of the chair she was bound too.

The door to the room opened and man entered carrying a tray in one hand and pushing a rolling table in front of him with the other. He spared the girl a slow once over then turned back to the first man.

At first she felt hope invade her heart at the sight of him. But hope faded like a three day old balloon with a pin size hole. The girl felt her anger rise as she recognized the man who entered the room. Hell she should since she'd been dating him for the last two months! The man had been sharing her bed for over half that time and she actually thought she was in love with him! How stupid was that! Nothing deflated a girls ego more then finding out she'd been played for a fool.

"Let me guess..." there was ice dripping from her words as she addressed him. "You drew the short straw and had to sleep with me to find out if I was in league with my brother and helped him kill our parents! Bet you had a lot of interesting things to tell your boss here when you reported in... so tell me you son of a bitch... how much did you get paid to screw me?"

Of course he didn't give her an answer. Instead he turned to his boss... Callie suppose that was who the first man was... and went to work on the objects he'd brought in on the tray.

"Need help giving it to her?" her kidnapper said as he came around to look at the things Bobby had brought in.

Instead of answering, Bobby cast him a look that seem to say -get real-.

"This syringe is filled with the right amount of the drug for her size and weigh, and there's a second one already if it's needed..." the man's lips curved into a half smile as he looked from his boss to the girl again. "I'll just give it to her and then you can question her."

Callie looked on in terror as the man who's last name she had doodled after her own name all over her note pad during a staff meeting, turned and came towards her with a length of rubber hosing in his hand. When he reached for her arm, she was powerless to stop him from tying semi tightly just above her elbow. When the vein in her arm popped up a bit, he reached for the syringe and inserted the small needle into the vein before depressing the plunger at the other end.

"What is that?" she cried, unable to believe this was happening to her, and she could do nothing to stop it. "What are you injecting into me?"

"Give it about two minutes to start working, then you can begin to question her," Bobby told the other man.

"HELLO! I asked a question here!" she raised her voice when no one paid any attention to her.

"It's a truth drug," the first man told her. "I need information and since you wouldn't give it to me on your owe... In a few minutes the drug will help make you feel happy enough to give it to me."

""Oh gee... Are you going to be disappointed," she muttered as the drug began to move through her blood stream making her feel like she was floating on a soft cuddly cloud. "Just make sure I'm home before midnight... Dad hates it when I'm past my curfew 'kay?"

She didn't know how much time had past before she heard him speak again. It could have been minutes, hours or even days. she didn't care.. She just wished he would shut up and let her sleep.

"You need to tell me what you know about your brother and where he might be hiding out since he escaped from prison," the voice buzzing in her ear told her.

"Why should I tell you... Who are you.." she muttered. She felt like an idiot. All of her words were coming out sounding as if she'd spent the night chugging down quarter shots at a frat party... Those were memories she didn't ever want to relive. It still amazed her that she was able to graduate in four years with a descent Degree.

"It doesn't matter who I am.." he told her. "I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer them for me like a good little girl."

"Nope.." she shook her head from side to side. "My daddy always told me not to talk to strangers. If I don't know who you are... then you're a stranger and I'm not gonna talk to you no more. So there!"

"I thought you said this stuff would make her sign like a canary," the man turned towards Bobby who shrugged his wide shoulders.

"It always has before," the other man said. "Just give hera nameto call you and make friends with her... I've never known a woman who you couldn't charm."

He shot his man a dirty look, but would try anything that might help. He had to find out where Drew Taylor was, so he could keep someone close to him from getting killed.

"You can call me.. Ranger.." the sexy voice said with a slight trace of amusement in the tone.

To be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor.. The rest I'm just trying to have some fun with...

Chapter Three 

"You can call me.. Ranger.." the sexy voice said with a slight trace of amusement in the tone.

"Like the lone Ranger?" Callie asked, then giggled. "Hi ho Silver! Away!"

"Sorry but no.. I don't own a horse."

"But I bet you have a mask..." she muttered as her eyes closed and she tried to fight back a yawn. Some little thread was starting to tickle her memory. She had heard that name before, but where.. Oh yea... Now she remembered.. -She- had talked about him. All about him. For days it was Ranger this and Ranger that. -Ranger- was all she had talked about while trying to keep Callie's mind off the aches and pains her body was making sure she felt every time the drugs wore off when Callie had woken up in the hospital. Recovery was a bitch who wanted to be noted.

Callie had just wished the bitch would shut the hell up and go away. She was such a wimp when it came to pain.

Her protector had hung around the hospital with her until she was release. She claimed she stayed or came to visit so Callie wouldn't be alone. But she found out only later it was because the doctors had begged her to keep coming in. She helped to keep Callie's nightmares away. As long as she could see/sense her in the room.. the injured woman could sleep without waking up screaming every half hour. When she had finally been released, her new friend had helped her find a place to live and a new name... The funny thing was, she was finally getting used to being called Lisa Coats and now she was back to being Callie Taylor...

"Ranger's really Batman... Or was it Batman was really Ranger.. No Ranger is a wizard who looks like Batman... No that ain't right either.. ah hell." the girl on the chair frowned when she couldn't remember right. She still had her eyes closed so she didn't see the slight look of surprise come over the big mans face. Only someone who knew him well would have notice any difference in his expression.

"Stephanie would know..." the girl's muttering went on. "Steph would remember who's who... Ranger or Batman... should ask her.."

"How do you know Stephanie?" the voice asked her. He had to work hard at keeping the irritation out of his tone. How in the hell did she know who he was! What did Stephanie have to do with it?

"Friend... " was all she would say. The drug he had given her was making her head swim. Then she frowned, "Thought Bobby was my friend.. though he really liked me..."

"Bobby does like you Callie," Ranger told her. "He thinks your funny and smart."

"Not smart enough," she snorted. "Fell for a pretty face and a sexy body..." Her blue eyes opened a bit and she turned her head to look over to the side where Ranger had moved his chair. "Story of my life you know... can't pick brothers or boyfriends... Worse luck ever! Should have known somethin' was rotten in Denmark... I mean the Burg...No Denmark.. Oh hell! Bobby's so damn sexy and cute. He could have any woman he wanted... Should have known he didn't really want me...People don't see me.. If it wasn't for Drew being my brother... someone like Bobby would never look twice at me.. Unless they were drunk...Or a reporter looking for a story... Stephanie likes me for me.. She's my friend."

Ranger stole a look at the other man in the room. He was turned away from him so he couldn't see his face, but Ranger knew the girl's mutterings were effecting him. The white of his knuckles as they gripped the edge of the roll away table gave it away. It had been his idea for Bobby to -befriend- the girl and get to know her. Had he forgotten that she was only a job? A means to an end in finding information about her brother and his friends? He'd have to talk to the man later on and find out how far things had gone between them. If he'd developed feelings for the girl.. How would it effect the job?

He turned back to the girl there was something bothering him and he hated unanswered questions. He also wondered why the truth drug wasn't working like it should. Others who'd been given it couldn't wait to tell him anything he wanted to know. "How do you know Stephanie? Did Drew introduce you to her?"

He knew that Drew Taylor had broken into Stephanie's apartment a few days after she'd stumbled upon him in the act of trying to kill someone... Stephanie, being Stephanie had ended up saving the life of Taylor's intended victim... While he had gotten away. Only to come after her a few days later, breaking into her apartment with a gun in his hand. What he hadn't counted on was Ranger being there seated in her rocker watching her sleep like he had many times before.

Thinking about that time now, Ranger knew he had slipped up big time back then. He had been so angry with himself for not finding out the name of the victim Stephanie had rescued at the time. Didn't think it mattered since police reports at the time claimed the woman had died in route to the hospital. They hadn't even brought her name up during the trial that followed. His main concern was making sure Stephanie was alright, If he had known it was Taylor's own sister he'd tried to kill, Taylor would never have made it to his own trail.

They'd all thought his sister was another innocent victim.. That was until they found out he'd been sending e-mails to a woman outside the prison and they had been traced to the home where.. low and behold.. there lived a very much alive Callie Taylor living under an assumed name. After checking Taylor's visitor logs, it was found that a woman matching her description and going by the name Lisa Coats had made several visits to the convicted felon. That's when Rangeman had become involved.

The night Taylor had come after Stephanie, Ranger had heard the sound of the lock on the apartment door sliding open and the barely audible sounds of footsteps in the hall leading back to her bedroom. He'd moved without making a sound, gun drawn to stand behind her bedroom door and waited to find out who has breaking in. For all he knew it could have been Joe Morelli the Vice cop Stephanie had had an on again off again relationship for the last few years. But it wasn't Morelli.. It had been Taylor coming to finish off the only witness to his crime.

Not expecting anyone but Stephanie to be in her apartment at that time of the night, Taylor had thought himself home free. Just step to the bed and fire off a round killing the damn bounty hunter who'd seen him at his sister's place.. and then disappear into the night.. Only he hadn't figured that bats came out at night.

"Callie.. Tell me how Drew knew Stephanie?" he asked again when she remained quiet.

Callie frowned again at the mention of her brothers name. She didn't want to think about him, much less talk about him and Stephanie in the same breath. He had tried to kill her and would have succeeded if Stephanie Plum hadn't showed up looking for someone else altogether and stumbled into the murder attempt. She'd got the drop on Drew, but he'd escaped when she went to have a look at Callie, laying bloody and unconscious on the floor of the living room in her apartment. Then she had stayed with Callie until the police and ambulance had arrived, protecting her for fear that Drew might come back to try and finish the job.

It had been Stephanie's idea to have the ambulance crew tell everyone that the woman had died before they arrived at the hospital. She had her checked in under a phony name so even if her brother checked or had someone check for him... They would think he was home free.

Stephanie Plum then spent a good part of each day with her while she was there in the hospital recovering from the stab wounds. She had even helped Callie to change her name and find a new place to live where no one would know who she was. She'd also helped her find a job with someone who owed Stephanie a favor.

"Don't want to talk no more," Callie whined a bit like a child being stubborn when told to do something he/she didn't want to do.

"You can sleep when you tell me where your brother is," the voice prompted. "Bobby wants you to tell me."

"Don't want to talk about Bobby... He doesn't believe me.. Said he loved me.. He lied to me.. and I even doodled his name after mine.. Thought he was the one.. Made me feel so special and loved... Now I feel like the world's biggest idiot and it's all his fault." she argued and turned her head away from him. "Want to talk to Stephanie.. Stephanie will believe me. She Never lied to me."

She didn't see him walk to the door and buzz it open with a remote on his key chain, since she had fallen asleep. So she didn't hear him yell for someone to call Stephanie and tell her to get her butt down there.

He hated to involve her in this. Didn't want her to think he was doing the over protective thing again.. But maybe with her here... He could keep a watch on her and at the same time he could finally get some answers out of the sister. Drew Taylor was out there somewhere and getting closer. Ranger had to find him and neutralize him before he could get to Stephanie.

If the girl was telling the truth and Stephanie was friends with her, Ranger knew he'd have to talk fast or she might do something stupid out of the stubbornness she was known for. He could always tell her the Government had asked for the help of Rangeman in going after Drew Taylor since it was known he was from the area and they felt he would turn up here sooner or later. Or maybe he would share with her the information Bobby had found on the woman's computer when he'd searched her home. The e-mail's from Drew that stretch over the last year or more. Found in a hidden e-mail account that only the owner of the account who had hid them or an expert with computers looking for them could have found them.

Bobby was such an expert. It hadn't taken him long at all to find the files and copy them to a disk for viewing later back at the office.

He didn't want to lie to Stephanie, but he would do what ever he could to make sure the bastard didn't get any where near her. Even if he had to lock Stephanie up in the Batcave to make sure she was kept safe.

While he waited for her to arrive, he tried to figure out how Stephanie could have set things up to make it look like Callie Taylor had died... she's even had a grave yard service for her...All that.. Without his knowing about it. He thought he knew all the strays Steph had picked up over the last few years. Seems there were a few things he and Steph needed to talk about before she found out Callie Taylor was here..

There was a knock at the door. Bobby turned to answer it, but Ranger called him off. "I'll let her in. But first I want to talk to her outside.. Keep watch on sleeping Beauty while I'm gone. We'll talk about this other thing later."

Stephanie was leaning against the wall opposite the door when Ranger opened it and stepped out. "You wanted to see me?"

"Babe," he growled, shaking his head from side to side as he reached for the lapel of the light jacket she was wearing and drew her close. He felt her body quiver as his lips softly covered her is a teasing kiss meant to tilt her off balance. "You've been holding out on me..."

To be continued... Next up.. Stephanie has some explaining to do...


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMOR: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor.. The rest I'm just having fun with...

-Chapter Four-

Stephanie was leaning against the wall opposite the door when Ranger opened it and stepped out. "Tank said you wanted to see me?"

"Babe we need to talk," he purred, and she knew she was in trouble. Ranger never purred. Before she could ask what was up to he was reaching for the lapel of the black Rangeman jacket she was wearing and drew her close. He felt her body quiver against his as his lips softly covered her is a teasing kiss meant to tilt her off balance. "You've been holding out on me..."

"I don't know what you mean!" she said a little too fast, which earned her the quarter smile. She thought even faster trying to think of what she might have done that he found out about that she didn't want him to know... And couldn't come up with a thing.

"Don't you?" his right hand came up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear and he smiled inwardly when he heard the small kitten-like sounds she made at the contact.

"N..no.." she stammered, suddenly unable to remember her own name much less what she might have done to get him riled up. Not that anyone could tell when Ranger was riled up.. Except at times like now when he was using an unfair advantage over her. Sex... Her and Morelli were in the off again stage of their relationship and it had been over two months since they'd had any mad gorilla sex. Until he could accept who she was and respect what she chose to do for a job.. she just didn't see them "on again". She wasn't done flying yet, and there was no way she could be a Burg housewife like her mother. That would drive her stark raving looney toons.

Two months without sex was like running out of mascara just after bring told that Tasty Cakes was going out of business. Ranger, damn him, knew her hormones were out of kilter and was using it against her. Why?

"You know I could easily make you tell me what I want to know Babe," Ranger purred again, and Stephanie knew it wasn't an empty threat. If he kept touching her the way he was... She'd cop to just about anything.

"I need a donut," she muttered trying to ignore the feel of his hard body pressed against hers.

"It's not a donut you need Babe," he taunted, taking a step closer forcing her to back up until the wall behind her cut off any escape. He took another step pressing his body against hers, his hands moving slowly up her hips and under the hem of her shirt to lay against the warm skin of her back.

"It's not," Gulp! How'd his leg get between hers, she wondered. Was he going to kiss her again? Did she want him to? Dumb question. Ranger could make her want him to kiss her with just a crook of a finger. And it had been over a month since she'd broken up with Morelli. But this was Ranger.. She was half afraid of him.. More like afraid of the fireworks his touches made her feel. Joe was good in bed.. but Ranger.. He was magic. All he had to do was be in the same room as her and she needed to change her panties.

"No Babe.. You're just too scared to admit what you really want. I could show you," his warm lips hovered just a hair's breath above hers. "But I wouldn't want you to think I was poaching."

"You know damn well Morelli and I aren't seeing each other any longer!" she squawked, before realizing what she was saying. It was like giving him free range to do what ever he wanted.

Ranger gave a short laugh, his lips turned up in that full on smile. "So I can do this now if I want to without you feeling any guilt issues."

His lips came down crushing hers before she could voice any objections. When his tongue slipped inside touching hers, objection was the furthest thing from her mind. For the first time since the day they met, there was no guilt or fear clouding her responses. There was only the mind shattering emotions that only Ranger could make her feel... It was a hell of a lot better then a dozen Boston Creams..

'Okay so I'm a Slut' she thought to herself as her hands moved upwards over the rock hard warmth of his chest to circle his neck. "Okay.. you win.. I'll admit it.. I want to ah... you know.. with you.."

Ranger lifted his head. His dark eyes filled with passion, and something more. "Timing Babe.. It sucks. As much as I'd enjoy taking you up to my apartment and finally getting you willingly naked in my bed... It'll have to wait. Right now I need for you to tell me how you thought you'd get away with trying to hide Callie Taylor and not have me find out about it..."

Instead of denying any involvement like Ranger thought she might do, Stephanie's face turned fierce all of a sudden, like a lion protecting her cubs and she slammed her hand against his chest.

"What did you do to her!" she demanded, getting in a second push before Ranger grabbed her shoulders andpinned her back against the wall. "You better not have hurt her or I'll.."

"Drew Taylor escaped from prison a few days ago," Ranger's angry tone cut across her meaningless threat. "Word has it that he's heading here to meet up with his sister to split the insurance money from their parent's policy. We have evidence that points to her being involved in their deaths.."

"No!" she shook her head from side to side. "NO! Not Callie! There's no way in hell that she's involved with any of this except as a victim"

"Babe... We have e-mail's sent from him to her taken off her own home computer and the visitor's log at the prison shows that a Lisa Coats has been there several times in the last few months to see him."

"It wasn't her!" Stephanie insisted, forgetting for a moment that this was Ranger she was arguing with. She should have known he'd find out what she had done. She never was any good at hiding things from him when he wanted to know something.

"We know she was gone from here on the days the visits happened," he told her. "I had someone on the inside keeping track of her. Every time Lisa Coats visited Taylor in prison, Callie Taylor was off the radar and no one knew where she was. Like clock work, once a month she would disappear and Bobby could never find out where she went to."

"It-was-not-Callie!" she said again, gritting her teeth and talking back to Ranger in a way she had never talked to him before. "I KNOW Callie never left the area. I've been in touch with her ever since I found her brother trying to stab the life out of her and not a day has gone by that I didn't know where she was! Once a month I've picked her up and taken her to the hospital for therapy and then to the grave site so she could talk to her parents. She didn't want anyone to know so they wouldn't find out who she was! I'm telling you Ranger... It wasn't Callie going to see that bastard because she was with me. Someone is trying to set her up!"

She sounded so sure that for the first time Ranger had some doubts. Could she be right? Could someone be trying to set the woman up to make her look guilty of the crimes? Bobby had commented several times that he didn't think they were going after the right lead. But then he found the e-mails on her computer. Could someone else have planted them there to draw attention off of something else going on?

"Come with me," he said grabbing her arm, pulling her after him to the door he'd just come from. Before he went in he turned to her. "We need some answers and maybe she'll talk if you ask them. If she's innocent Babe, I'll do what I can to make sure she's kept safe from him."

Stephanie looked at him for a moment, then nodded acceptance. Ranger had always kept his word to her. She should have gone to him in the first place and not tried to do this on her own. She could trust Ranger. He'd proven that to her over and over since the day they had met.

"Ranger.." she looked up at him, her blue eyes open allowing him to see into her soul. "Callie had been though enough. Go easy on her please... For me. I know I'm not wrong about her. I've seen her wake up screaming from the nightmares that haunt her. When this is over and her brother is caught.. I want you to help me get her away from here to a place no one can ever find her where she can live a normal life again. Would you do that for me?"

He reached up, tucking the errant curl back behind her ear while smiling that wolfish smile that usually scared the crap out of her. "It's a big thing you ask me to do.. if I do this one thing for you .. What will you do for me?"

"Anything you ask." Gulp! Did she just say that?

"You know what I want Babe. And it'll have to be more then one night for this kind of favor," he said pushing it to see how serious she was.

Stephanie answered without even the slightest hesitation. "Do this for me and I'll become your sex slave for as long as you want."

"Deal." She was serious. If she was willing to become his sex slave in exchange for a new identity for Callie Taylor.. Maybe things with her really weren't what they might appear to be. "Let's go talk to her see what she might tell us with you here."

The door opened then and Bobby stuck his head outside. "She's asking for you", he told Ranger, and cut a quick look to the Woman standing beside him. "Said she'll answer your questions now... but I can go to hell. I don't think she loves me any more."

Stephanie shot an angry look at Bobby then pushed past him and entered the room. When she saw Callie tied down to the long chair, she almost went crazy. Instead she crossed to her and began yanking at the leather ties...

To be continued... Next Bobby & Callie have a... talk..


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMOR: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor.. The rest I'm just having fun with...

-Chapter Five-

Callie & Bobby

Callie wasn't asleep. She pretended to be so Ranger.. would quit asking her questions and let her think. Hearing the news that Drew had escaped from prison was bad enough.. But to find out that the man who had been sharing her bed for the last few months.. The man who she had fallen in love with, who made her feel so safe, so protected and so loved.. had just used her to gather information.. Was almost to much to deal with.

But she had to know the truth. She had to hear it from his own lips before she would believe it to be true.

He was sitting there in the same chair Ranger had moved to the side of the bed when he was questioning her. Callie opened her eyes to see Bobby looking at her. At first she thought she saw some tenderness reflecting back at her, but then the cold look was back and she wondered if she had just been seeing things.

"Was it all a lie Bobby?" Callie's soft voice cut into the silence in the room. "Did you have any feelings for me at all? Or was I just a means to an end."

"It's what I do," he said quietly, getting up and turning away so she couldn't see the look of pain his lies made him feel. "I hunt down scum like your brother and bring them to justice...using whatever means it takes to get the job done. In this case.. You. We knew sooner or later he would try to contact you.. So we decided to put someone near you to keep tabs on you and grab him when he came to see you."

"And that someone was you. I hope they pay you enough for prostituting your body for the good of the job." she sneered feeling like a foolish idiot for falling for his lies. "So tell me the truth.. was sleeping with me part of the deal? Or was that just one of the perks of the job? Was I any good or did you just pretend I was someone else the whole time you were inside me?"

"Sleeping with you was a mistake that never should have happened," he replied coldly, turning to face her. His handsome features held a trace of anger. Anger at himself or her, she wondered. "I was only suppose to follow you around and keep an eye out for your brother. Then nab him when he came near.. But you spotted me following you so I had to come up with some other reason to be there. Pretending to be interested in you seem the best way to go. It allowed me to get closer to you then we could have ever hoped."

"Pretending to be interested.." she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her eyes searched his face as if trying to find him in some lie, but the dark blue eyes that stared back at her were icy cold. There was none of the warmth and love she had witness there before. This man she didn't recognize. "I guess I got my answer. I thought women were the only ones who faked it.Was learning to please a woman part of your spook training or just something you pickup up along the way seducing little fools like me?"

He was about to do something that he knew was going to hurt her deeply, but he didn't see any other way. He had a job to do. He couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way. It was killing him inside knowing he was going to have to hurt her, when all he wanted was to take her in his arms and make all this go away. He wanted the life he'd been living for the last two months. Wanted it with her. But unless he could prove she was innocent of the charges they wanted to bring against her.. He didn't see how he could keep leading her on. He needed to cut the ties now. Even if it felt like thrusting a knife into his own heart.

"Stop it Callie!" Bobby looked angrier still. "It was just a job. It wasn't personal.. But if you really need to know.. Hell yes I enjoyed myself. You were good baby. Fresh and innocent was kind of a turn on.. and those little kitten like sounds you made when I was buried inside you... made me hard as hell. I didn't have to fake it. In fact seeing you bound to that chair is given me ideas... How about a quickie before Ranger comes back. What do you say..? One for the road..? Or how about old times sake! Is that what you want to hear? IS it?"

His words cut deep, like a knife slicing away large chucks of her heart. Her breath caught as a lump of emotion seem to settle there. Not even the pain she had felt when Drew's knife had been thrust inside her over and over, compared to the pain Bobby's words made her feel at that moment.

"I've been such a fool," she hissed softly, feeling like the world's biggest idiot. "You were good. I fell for your lies like Bait on a hook. I actually thought you cared as much for me as I did for you. I opened myself up to you and told you things I'd never told anyone else.. I trusted you.. but to you I was just a job. An easy mark."

She gave a short angry laugh. "You know.. if you or your boss had just come to me and asked me what I knew about my brother and his friends... I would have been more then willing to tell you everything I knew about them," she informed him, "I'm so tired of looking over my shoulder waiting for one of his friends to be there with a knife or gun ready to finish what Drew tried to do to me. I -want- my life back. To be free again to do what I want to do without fear. Without lies... Had you come to me and been honest... I would have given you all the records I stole from him dealing with his business..."

She looked at him, blue eyes filled with disappointment and broken dreams. Tears fell unchecked down her cheek as she watched him turn away from her.

"Tell your boss to get back in here and I'll answer his questions," her voice held no emotion. "I'll say this just once right now that I have never once sent or received an e-mail from Drew.. Nor have I ever gone to see him in prison.. and if you can't or won't believe that... Tough shit.. Right now I don't give a damn and you can go straight to hell."

Bobby went to the door, remoted it open and stuck his head outside. "She's asking for you." He told Ranger and cut a quick look to the Woman standing beside him. "Said she'll answer your questions now.. but that I can go to hell... I don't think she loves me any more."

"I'm sure you'll get over it," Ranger said softly as their eyes met and an one of these guy type messages pass between them. Bobby knew he was in for a talking too.

Stephanie shot an angry look at Bobby then pushed past him and entered the room. She moved quickly to Callie's side and began yanking at the leather straps until the girl was free of her bounds.

"It's gonna be alright now Callie.. I'm here and I'll make sure they don't hurt you gain..." her voice was soothing, but Callie wasn't having any of it.

"Too late.." Callie sobbed. "Between Drew and Bobby... I just don't care any more... Both are liars. I don't know which one is worse. Don't care... Let's just get this over with..."

She turned to Ranger, totally ignoring Bobby who was standing by the door. "What do you want to know?"

To be continued... Next up.. Stephanie helps Ranger get the answers...


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMOR: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor.. The rest I'm just having fun with...

ooc: Don't be too upset with poor Bobby... he just may prove himself yet... but that doesn't mean his life is going to be peaches & cream or easy...

-Chapter Six-

Answers 

Stephanie shot an angry look at Bobby then pushed past him and entered the room. She moved quickly to Callie's side and began yanking at the leather straps until the girl was free of her bounds.

"It's gonna be alright now Callie.. I'm here and I'll make sure they don't hurt you gain..." her voice was soothing, but Callie wasn't having any of it.

"Too late.." Callie sobbed. "Between Drew and Bobby... I just don't care any more... Both are liars. I don't know which one is worse. Don't care... Let's just get this over with..."

She turned to Ranger, totally ignoring Bobby who was standing by the door. "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know where your brother is," Ranger repeated the same question he'd been asking since he'd.. introduced.. himself to her.

Callie looked at Stephanie, who nodded once, then at Ranger. "I don't know where he is right now," she told him. "But I can guess where he might go once he hits town."

"And where might that be?"

"He has a number of safe houses he and his men used to use when they were pulling jobs," Callie told him. "I have a list of most of them. You could check them out and see if anyone is living in any of them."

"How do we know you'll be giving us the whole list?" Bobby asked and Callie ignored him totally.

Ranger noticed the girl didn't even look at his man when he asked his question. He wanted the answer himself so he repeated the question.

"When I found out my brother was the one who killed my parents.. I knew he'd be coming after me next," she explained slowly, after another nod from Stephanie. "He wanted the Family Business to use to launder his stolen & ill gotten gains. With my parent's out of the way.. I was the only thing standing in the way of him taking over, and he knew I would never let him do anything illegal. That didn't mean he didn't try any way. I got a call from the bank. Drew was trying to take out a loan to -Expand- he told them. But since we co-owned the business the bank needed my signature on the loan application before they could process it.. I refused and then little things started happening."

She went quiet as she tried to put the –happenings- in order. She didn't want him to think she was blowing things out of proportion.

"One on one they didn't seem so strange.. but when you link them all together.. it was enough to make me believe someone was out to get me," her blue eyes took on a far off look kind of thing as she remembered. "The first time was when someone broke into my home. Nothing was taken, but someone trashed it good like they were looking for something. Then my office was broken into, and the brake lines in my car where cut.. that's when I started getting scared."

"You had the car checked out by a mechanic?" Ranger asked, looking at Stephanie who nodded, even as Callie went on.

"Yes, I insisted on it being looked at when the idiot cop who showed up first treated me like a stupid woman driver. He took one look at the car and my clothing and pegged me for a spoiled rich bitch with a new toy I couldn't handle. I wanted to challenge him to a few turns around the speedway but.. Most men hate it when a woman beats them at their own game, and since I didn't want to see a grown man cry, I kept my mouth shut. But when he went to give me a ticket for reckless driving.. I insisted that the car be looked over.. I was more then happy to tell the jerk –I told you so— when the report came back in.. the mechanic not only confirmed my beliefs, he asked me who I pissed off when he was done giving his report."

She went on to give them a list of other –happenings-. "Then I thought I'd gotten smart.. I –KNEW- Drew was behind all the attacks.. so I thought if I got some insurance to use against him.. he'd leave me alone. I broke into –his- home and office and copied a bunch of files off his computer to disk..."

"I checked his computers, both his home and office. They have them down in impound. Cop took possession of them right after he was arrested. I didn't find anything on them," Bobby interrupted, his deep blue eyes narrowing as he regarded her.

Callie snorted, but still did not look at him. Her eyes were on Ranger. "I suppose that after he realized someone had broken into his computers and copied the information he had... he was smart enough to either reformat the drive and wipe out every thing incriminating. Or he trashed them and get new ones. I'm not surprised nothing was found on them."

"How did Taylor find out someone had been in his computer?

The woman's face suddenly lost some of the tiredness she'd been feeling moments before. Her lips curved slowly upwards at the corners in a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Could be.. someone left him a note telling him if any more -accidents- happen to them.. the disk would be in the cops hands by nightfall. Or I might have been the fact that the extra set of disks he had hidden in a safe place were replaced with a can of dog food. I don't know which one gave it away."

"I take ithe didn't like being compaired to a dog or Ithat he didn't believe you," Ranger quipped. He was starting to like this lady. Maybe there was more to her then he'd first thought. Certainly Bobby was going to have his hands full with her. It might be fun to watch the chase.

"No.." she frowned remembering all to well what happened after that. "I thought I'd have a few day to get my things together and find some place to hide out.. But I under estimated Drew. He cameafter me the same night and if it hadn't been for Stephanie breaking into the wrong apartment... I'd be dead right now."

"Am I known for my timing or what?" Stephanie asked, then wished she'd kept the attempted joke to herself when a look from Ranger reminded her of other events of that night. Like almost losing her job because she'd left the damn gun in the car when she'd gone up to find the person her mother had sent her to pick something up from.

Ranger had not been very pleased with her. In fact he'd been down right p.o'd. The scary side of him came out.

Well hell.. it's not like she was -on the job- for Rangeman.. She was only going after a damn cake pan, and didn't think she needed a gun for that. When Ranger found out what she had done.. He almost fired her. Rule number one for employees of Rangeman.. ALWAYS carry your gun. Rule number two.. hope like hell Ranger doesn't find out you broke rule number one if you come across a crazed serial killer trying to snub the life out of someone. She still didn't remember how she had taken the stun gun he'd used to subdue his sister before taking a knife to her body, away from him that night... must have been some of that self defense stuff Ranger was always making her work out at.. Or just the Plum luck... Anyway.. she'd stunned him with it and then went to check on the victim.. who turned out to be Callie. When the cops along with Joe Morelli and Ranger showed up.. Drew Taylor was gone.

Three days later he had come after Stephanie only to have the bad luck of breaking in on the same night Ranger had decided to pull one of his nightly visits. Ranger had his gun. Not that he needed to use it to capture Taylor.. but ever since that night, Stephanie had been diligent about making sure to have her gun with her when she went out.. Even if she still hated the damn thing. She so did not want Ranger to fire her. She liked her job.

"Babe."

Stephanie looked up at him, trying to remember why they were there. "What.. huh?"

"Pay attention," he ordered. Then turned back to Callie. "These disk's you have dealing with your brother's business... Are they hidden near by? Can you get to them."

She shot him a look, her face expressionless. "Those disk's are my insurance."

Stephanie reached out and took the woman's hand in her own. "Let Ranger have the disk's. If he can use them to figure out how to get Drew.. wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"God Yes! That would be a great thing. I'd give up tasty cakes, and promise not to buy a new pair of shoes for a whole year to get Drew out of my life," Callie grumbled, then her blue eyes narrowed as she cut a quick look back in the direction of where Bobby was standing. "There's one little problem. I have this trust issue going on... I don't trust him ( she jerked her thumb to where Bobby was leaning against the walk) worth a damn any longer and he works for him... Who I also have good reason not to trust."

"Name one," Stephanie prompted.

This time she pointed at Ranger, without looking at either of the men. "-He- broke into my home, pinned me to my bed.. knocked me out, kidnapped me, brought me here where I found myself tied to this damn chair and then he tried to drug me to get me to tell him something I couldn't have told him even if I had wanted too.. That one (points at Bobby again) wined me, dined me, then seduced me, shared my bed.. made me believe that he cared about me... But it was all a lie. He was only there because he was –doing his job-. A job which your Batman sent him to do! So you tell me Steph.. Why should I trust either one of them again?"

The lady had a point.

"You trust me don't you," Stephanie asked. "Have I ever lied to you or steered you wrong? And it wasn't my fault that shoe sale at the mall ended the day before we went.. Their ad in the paper was dated wrong. Other then that.."

Callie shook her head. "No.. You've always kept your word. I know I can trust you."

"Then trust me now," she coaxed softly. "Give Ranger the disks and let him use them to find Drew and make sure he'll never be a threat to you ever again."

The woman's eyes narrowed. "Okay.. because I trust you.. I'll give –Ranger- another chance and get the disks for him."

"What about Bobby," Stephanie asked quickly, hoping she wasn't stretching her luck. "Doesn't he deserve a second chance too."

"Stephanie have you ever seen a pig fly?" Callie asked.

"Err.. No.."

"Me either."

Stephanie found Callie something besides her night clothes to wear for the trip, and they left, taking one of the all black SUV's Rangeman had in it's fleet.

When the four of them return from retrieving the disks in the place where Callie had hidden them, Stephanie insisted on taking Callie up to one of the apartments and letting her sleep for a while.

Ranger, wanting nothing more than to go over the disks, agreed to allow the use of the room. He told Stephanie to come back down once she got the girl settled in. He wasn't worried about the girl going any where. The forth floor was monitored by hidden camera's and if she tried to get away unseen... the elevators could be locked down from the control room.

He held the package of disks in his hand, calling Bobby to come with him as he headed off towards his office. It was time for their –talk-...

To be Continued... Next up... The Talk..


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMOR: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor.. The rest I'm just having fun with ..

Again that's for the nice reviews

-Chapter Seven-

Ranger & Bobby's.. Little Talk

Bobby couldn't take his eyes off Callie as Stephanie led her away. His eyes stayed on the elevator door until he felt the sharp slap of a fist hitting his shoulder and turned to find Ranger standing there looking at him. He didn't looked pleased.

"In my office," Ranger growl, and started to walk that way, knowing Bobby would follow.

"Sit down," Ranger ordered, when the door to his office was closed and he and Bobby were alone. He pointed one long arm towards a chair in front of the desk as he moved to sit in the dark brown leather seat behind it.

The office was furnished in dark browns and beige. The desk was large with drawers that locked on either side. The top held a tan and gold marble pen holder with a calendar and digital clock, a file basket filled with reports Ranger needed to read and sign off on, and monthly expense reports he needed to initial and send back to his accountant. There were two chairs positioned in front of the desk, both were a few shades lighter than his own chair and a wet bar ran along the back of the room with a small sink and a frig filled with water, juice and a few bottles of beer.

"I'm not going to tell you how stupid you were letting your emotions get involved with a suspect. I think you already know you screwed up.. But thanks to Stephanie we might be able to salvage something out of this."

"Ranger.. I don't know what to say.." Bobby admitted, slowly shaking his head as if at a loss for a good excuse. "It started out as just a job.. But then she made me. She was starting to freak out seeing me everywhere she went. I had to come up with something so she didn't spook and run. So I told her I thought she was cute and asked her out. I only asked her out to save the case. I figured I could use it to try to get close to her.."

"Close was good.. Getting to know her and getting her to trust you was good," Ranger growled, making known his displeasure with only a slight change in his tone. "Sleeping with her was just plain stupid! When I hired you it was because you had the reputation of being able to think quickly with that thing on your shoulders.. not the one in your pants.. Did I make a mistake?"

Bobby shook his head. He didn't like where this was going. No one had ever questioned the way he did his job before. But then he'd never slept with a suspect before either. "No you weren't wrong.. I've done everything you assigned me to do and gotten you the information you wanted.. If I hadn't we never would have gotten the lead on Taylor coming back home."

"No.. We wouldn't have." Ranger agreed.

"So why wouldn't you trust me to bring her in on my own?" the other man finally found the guts to ask the question that had been burning a hole in his mind since he'd learned that Ranger had gone after Callie on his own and brought her back to the Rangeman offices. He hadn't known it was Callie in the interrogation room when he'd been asked to bring in the truth drugs until he saw her tied to the chair. He'd felt slightly betrayed.. but hid his feelings and did his job as instructed.

"You were gone picking up that FTA and we needed to move in quickly," he was told without apologizing. "Taylor was spotted less then fifty miles from here. I needed the girl put on ice so he couldn't get to her. It had nothing to do with the way you were doing your job. I didn't have any problem with that. Had you been here I would have told you to bring her in."

Ranger wondered if Bobby's head was in the right place to continue on with the assignment, or if maybe he should replace him with Tank. He hated to do that because he needed Tank to baby sit Stephanie when he himself couldn't be around to watch her. Tank was the Batman's Robin. Only a lot bigger. Tank came by his name legitimately. It only took one look at the man and people knew why he was called that. He was also the one person that Ranger trusted more then anyone else he knew to watch his own back. Tank would take a bullet for Ranger to save his life. He'd proved it more then once.

Tank had known Steph for almost as long as Ranger himself had, so he knew what to expect from her. She couldn't pull things on Tank any more then she could Ranger.. She knew better to try.. Ranger though, had ways of making Stephanie behave that the others would never dare try. They were too afraid of what Ranger might do to them.. But it also helped that Stephanie was a little bit afraid of him. It worked to Ranger's advantage. But if Bobby's head had been messed up by Taylor's sister, Ranger would have no choice but to reassign Tank to take over.

"I want the truth." The authority was strong in Ranger's tone. "I need to know if you can still do the job you were assigned to do or if you're going to have trouble remembering which part of your body to use to think with. I -need- your skills on this job Bobby. So for now I'll let you make the call. But if you decide to stay.. You need to stay focused on the job."

Bobby answered without even the slightest hesitation. "I can do the job. I'll make damn sure her bastard of a brother doesn't get anywhere near her. And I promise I won't screw up again."

Ranger heard the almost savage undertones in the man's words. Again he wondered if he was making a mistake by leaving Bobby on the case. It reminded him suddenly of the way he had felt the last time someone out there was trying to kill Stephanie, and suddenly Bobby's reaction to the danger the girl was in was starting to make some sense.

"Please... Tell me you didn't fall in love with her?"

At first Bobby didn't answer. His hands came up, fingers raked through the dark brown waves of his hair. He knew better then to lie to his boss. The man was no fool. He could read a person better then anyone Bobby had ever met before.

"Yeah.. I guess I did," Bobby looked up and met the eyes of the man he admired,# as well as respected. "God help me I didn't mean for it to happen when I started this job... It's just that the more time I spent with her the more I came to care for her and I wish like hell the last two months I've know her weren't based on a lie. I –liked- being with her. She's something special. Unlike any woman I've known before... And now she hates my guts and wants me to go to hell."

"She's also a suspect," Ranger reminded him. "Or did you forget the e-mails you yourself found on the computer in her home? Or the fact that every time she gave you the slip, someone looking like her, using the fake name she took on, showed up to pay a visit to her brother?"

"I haven't forgotten that fact.. Trust me.. I can't forget it." he growled. "Like you said.. I found the damn things hidden on the computer. But I just don't see her being able to pull something like that off without me trigging onto it. She just doesn't have that kind of personality."

"You think not?"

"No.. Ranger I'd stake my life on her innocence, and not just because I've been sleeping with her," the man exclaimed, somewhat heatedly. "For one thing.. she never hid the computer from me, nor did she ever try to stop me from getting on and using it. Even when she thought I worked for a company who set up systems for other companies. She never even flinched when I went into the file manager to –repair- a program that for -some reason- stopped working."

"Then how do you explain them being there?" The owner of Rangeman wanted answers. "Do you know if anyone else had access to the computer? A repair man or maybe a friend of hers?"

"The roommate," Bobby said after a moments though. "She claimed she didn't know anything about -them contraptions- but we came home early one night from a movie we'd gone to see.. we'd gotten the times wrong.. I saw her slipping out of Callie's office with some lame excuse about looking for a stamp. I looked in the room before she could get the door shut and saw the monitor shutting down. I let it go until she went into her own room, then slipped inside myself and found the computer was hot to the touch.. It would have been cold if it hadn't been used while we were gone.

Ranger's cell phone rang just then and he flipped it open. "Yo," he answered and listen for a few minutes to the person on the other end. His face never changed expressions until he ended the call.

"You may be right," Ranger, nodded his head slightly in acceptance of his employee's assessment of the situation. "What do we have on the roommate?"

"Stephanie was going to run a check on her as soon as she got Callie settled into an apartment on four," the taller of the two men stated as he got up to pace around the room.

"It has to be her though. She's the only one who has access to the home when we're not... I mean when Callie's not there."

"How did the two of the meet and become roommates?"

"I don't really know," he frowned. "Maybe Stephanie might know. I do know that the girl seems nice. She's got a good sense of humor and her and Callie get along like they've known each other a long time. I wouldn't have thought of her if not for the computer incident. I really didn't get to know her all that well.. Callie liked to get out of the house and go do things all the time.. so I went along with her to make her happy and prove how smitten I was with her charms."

Ranger gave a short snort and shot the man a look full of pity. "Did you go shopping at the mall with her too?"

"Yeah so... What?" Bobby growled when he saw his boss shaking his head with a little eye rolling action

"In all the years I've known you, I never thought to see the day some chick would turn your mind to mush. She's got you by the balls. You're whipped!"

The younger man glared at him. Wondering if he'd still have a job after beating the hell out of his boss. No one called him Whipped! He was half out of his chair, with thoughts about coming across the desk after the other man, but then his brain started to work again and he remembered who it was he was going after. Even he wasn't that stupid.

Ranger never moved a muscle. He just sat there with that knowing grin on his handsome face.

"Oh shit! Say it ain't so.." Bobby swore softly as he dropped back down in the chair.. He looked up at his boss wanting to deny his words, but he knew there was no way he could. Callie had his heart and he'd do just about anything for her to make her happy. "I'm whipped."

"And..?" Ranger's knowing grin turned into a full blown –I told you so- smile.

"The hell I know what I'm going to do about it."

"Would you feel better being out in the field with me and letting Stephanie and Tank keep an eye on the girl?"

"No!" Bobby's head shot up and he looked Ranger straight in the eye. "Look Ranger.. I know I screwed up big time.. But I mean to marry this girl once this is over if I can get her to talk to me and listen to my lame excuses... I'll beg her to forgive me and give me another try if I have too... Until then -I'll- protect her. Not Tank. Not Stephanie. Me.. So what are we going to do now?"

"Now we bait the hook and use it to real in a killer."

To be continued...

Next up... Stephanie has her own talk with Callie.. Who's not to happy to find out she's stuck with Bobby weather she wants to be or not...


	8. Chapter 8

_DISCLAIMOR: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor.. The rest I'm just having fun with..._

_-Chapter Eight-_

Stephanie & Callie

Rangeman HQ (9:00 am)

When the four of them return from retrieving the disks in the place where Callie had hidden them, Stephanie insisted on taking Callie up to one of the apartments and letting her sleep for a while.

"Go ahead. You can look at the list and see which apartments are empty," Ranger told her.

Stephanie knew he wanted to look at the disks they'd just retrieved and would want to discuss the information with Callie later. A bit of sleep was going to be needed if Callie was going to make any sense. Anyone looking at her could tell she was dead on her feet. But then after the night she'd had, Stephanie would have been surprised if she wasn't.

She could see Bobby watching the girl. His eyes, usually cold and hard, like Ranger's when he was -in the zone-, were filled with worry and concern. Stephanie knew if he could, he'd be the one taking the girl up to the apartment, to see her settled in.

Too bad he'd been such a jerk before. The way Callie was acting since finding out that the love of her life, had been lying to her from the start.. Didn't bode well for a happy reunion between the two. She didn't know what he had said to her while they had been waiting for her to arrive after being summon by Ranger... But what ever it was.. It killed what feelings she may have had for the big guy.

"Are you okay?" Stephanie asked her when the door to the elevator closed behind them.

"Not bad for someone who just found out her psychotic murderer of a brother escaped from prison and was coming after her to finish the job he started... or that the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.. only slept with me because his -job- required him to keep a watch on me and he chose to do this by pretending he cared about me to get me into his bed instead of just coming out and telling me the truth."

Callie looked at her, and Stephanie was reminded of what she herself looked like after a sleepless night, followed by her hair drier blowing up. A funny look came over the girl's face as if something suddenly came to her.

"To top it off, I've been assaulted, threaten, kidnapped, and drugged by the man –you- work for," her eyes narrowed. "How do I know you're not part of all this. How do I know you're –help- over the last few years wasn't part of –the job- for you too?"

Steph's mouth dropped open.. She really must be donut deprived if she heard what she thought she had just heard. "Do you honestly think... that I've been helping you hide out and taking you on shopping trips and to the doctor and to talk with your parents and being there when you needed someone to talk to because I was ordered too?" she exclaimed. "If you do then you don't know me at all after all this time."

"Well you have to admit," Callie started to say as the elevator door opened and she followed Stephanie out into the hall of the forth floor. "It is kind of strange that the company you work for, employ the people who kidnapped me.. Makes a person wonder who they can and can't trust."

That hurt. Stephanie knew the woman wasn't in the best frame of mine after all she had been through.. Hell if she didn't know Ranger and woke up to find his body pinning hers to the bed.. She might freak out too.. Or had an orgasm on the spot... The man was that hot! The girl was only lucky that Ranger hadn't send Tank to retrieve her. Callie might have died of fright. Tank was a real scary person... even after you got to know him.

Stephanie turned away from the girl and walked about twenty feet down the hall to where she shoved open a door, reached inside and grabbed a set of keys off a nail on the wall. She took a quick look at key fob to find the apartment number then turned fuming as she walked down the hall to stand in front of the door, which she remoted open.

"Well don't you think it's kind of funny?" Callie asked her again, to which Stephanie replied by grabbing the lapel of her borrowed jacket and dragged her into the room.

"Inside," she hissed, then slammed the door shout, before turning back to face the woman she had been helping the last few years. "First thing, I'd rather not have this conversation out in the hall where it can be picked up on the camera's and provide entertainment for Ranger's men in the control room."

She lifted her finger up in front of Callie's face when she would have spoken, to stop her. "Two.. I just started working for Rangeman when I found you past out and bleeding to death on the floor of that apartment. I wasn't –on the job- or working for anyone that had any connections to you. I was there only to pick up a damn pie pan for my mother.. But I helped you, hid you and watched over you when I could have just let the cops deal with you.. I came to enjoy and even look forward to the time we spent together because it was easy.. I could forget about the scum I saw on a daily bases in my real life. Being friends with you made me feel almost normal. It was a feeling I liked."

She had to stop talking for a moment to take another breath, then went on. "I could swear to you that I had no idea Ranger knew anything at all about you much less that he was having you watched. I could swear to you that I had no idea that the –new man- in your life was someone employed by Rangeman... Because I had never seen you and him together!"

"So I'm just suppose to take your word for it," Callie snorted.

"No. I'm not going to asking you to take my word for it," Stephanie snapped. "I said I could swear those things to you but I don't know why I should. I've been honest with you since day one. I never lied to you or led you on about anything.. If you want to believe that I did.. then find.. believe what you want.. I'll just go tell Ranger that you don't want our help finding your brother and putting him away. That you're not going to be of much use to us and he can let you go back to your life and then you can deal with your brother all on your own. Is that what you want!"

"No," Callie glared at her. "I want my life back. I want to be able to wake up in my own bed and not feel afraid. I want to be able to walk down a friggin street and not feel like everyone I see is out to get me! I WANT to know that the people I love and care about the most in my life are people I can trust to be who they say they are! That's what I want!"

"Callie.. I've been nothing but honest with you from the start," Stephanie told her, (inside doing a mental eye roll while thinking 'That's Gratitude for you after all I've done for her.') Aloud she continued. "I never told anyone about you. Not even Ranger, who I admire, respect and I think I even sort of love a bit, even if I am a little afraid of him... he's big time pissed off at me right now because he found out I knew you were alive –and- have been helping to hide you out for the last few years... -and- didn't tell him. Which I don't regret doing for one moment. But it took me a lot to convince him not to fire my ass over this...You wouldn't believe the deal I had to make with him.. But more important.. He listen to me when I told him why I thought you were innocent and not a part of your brother's schemes... He trusts my word enough so that he's willing to help you now instead of thinking you're in it with your brother.."

Callie sighed, blew out a long breath. She turned and looked out the window not really seeing the view as her mind was racing around the problem at hand. "I thought I could trust my brother until I found out what type of friends he was hanging out with and what happened after that. But then he tried to kill me.. I trusted Bobby with my heart.. and found out he only there because they thought I was involved in the murder of my parents and part of Drew's crew.."

The sleepless night suddenly seem to catch up to her. What little energy she had left, took her to the couch where she slumped down onto the soft cushions and sighed. "You know... I'm more hurt over the fact that Bobby turned out to be someone I didn't really know.. I really liked him. He made me feel really special and damn was he good in bed.. I thought men who could do the things he did were only real in romance books.. I know what they say about big men small dingdongs.. but in Bobby's case it wasn't true.. He's big everywhere.. Now I think he's ruin me for other men.. How can I trust a man like that?"

'Eww,' Another mental eye roll.. Way to much information,' the female bounty hunter thought. She was having enough trouble keeping a picture of a naked Ranger out of her own mind.. she didn't need to hear about Bobby's dingdong too.."

"You might not think you can trust us but we're all you have right now to keep you safe from your brother. Ranger gave his word to help you and find you a new identity when this is over.. Ranger –never- goes back on his word. I trust him with my life."

Callie's eyes narrowed, more out of lack of sleep then distrust.. "It's fine that you trust him with your life... But would you also trust him with mine?"

'Enough so that I offered to be his –sex slave- for as long as he wants, if he helped you,' Stephanie thought to herself, but aloud she said, "Yes. I would. Ranger gave me his word."

Enough said.

"Now get some sleep. There's a soft bed in the other room," she told her, as she started walking towards the door. "Ranger's going to want to talk to you about what's on those disks when he's done looking at them."

Planning session 

Rangeman HQ (3:00 pm)

When everyone was seated at the table in the conference room on the fifth floor of the Rangeman building, all eyes turned to Ranger. He was the master planner. The one who directed everyone else. They were waiting to see what ideas he had come up with to deal with the information Callie had given him.

He sat there, leaning back in his chair, powerful arms crossed over an even more powerful chest.. a chest Stephanie was picturing in her mind without the tight black t-shirt he was wearing. She was thinking about the deal she made with him... Had she been out of her mind offering to be his -sex slave- or what?... and was now wondering when he was going insist on her filling her part of the deal. It was all she could think of since the two women had rejoined the men... Donuts just weren't doing the trick any more.. the sex hormones were over powering the sugar rush from the donuts ten to one..

Ranger sat up abruptly drawling her attention back to the reason they were all sitting in the room. She looked over at him and saw that damn knowing grin on his handsome face.

She sighed.

"Should I send Tank to get you some donuts," he teased, knowing the others wouldn't understand the double meaning. Stephanie did and squirmed in her chair before she could put on what she called her -Ranger face-. "You're going to need to keep up your energy for later."

Instead of a the sarcastic remark she normally would have given him in return for his taunt.. She glared at him. This caused Ranger to rise an eye brow. He'd have to get to the bottom of that look later when they had time.

Tank was in on the meeting and Callie was introduced to him. He gave her a nod of his head, but other wise said nothing. Callie nodded back at the big man, thinking her Bobby was big and scary looking, but this new man was even bigger and scarier looking. But she wasn't afraid of him. She'd seen him give Stephanie a friendly push to the shoulder and wink. She found it funny thought because she wasn't afraid of him, so Callie told herself he was okay.. just big and scary looking.

"Okay.. We had a look at the information on those disks you gave us," he turned his brown eyes to look at Callie. Everyone could see how impressed he was by what he had found, even before he said so. "I think I'll need to hire you to work for me if this is the type of work you can do. With the information we got off these disks we should be able to double the file we have on Drew Taylor. Plus add about fifty years to his sentence. I would like to know how you decided on which files to copy? I am –impressed- with the job you did. It was no wonder your brother was willing to kill you to get the disks back. You had enough evidence to send him away for life even if he hadn't already been convicted of your parents murder."

Callie explained that her major in Collage had been in Accounting. She went to work for her parents after graduating and fell in love with the sales and ordering side of the family business so left the accounting work to others. Still she had kept up with every new law that came out and kept her credit hours up to date, so she knew how to read a -Spread Sheet-. Finding out how he had -Cooked the Books- had been easy for someone who could memorize columns of numbers.

"I've always been good with number and I've set up enough Accounting Books for friends who started up their own businesses so I know when something add up. I can usually spot a scam and how it works, with a little time."

"Remind me when this is all over," he told her after listening to her explain what she had found in Drew Taylor's computer files. "I have need of a good accountant in one of the other Rangeman offices out of state. If you want the job.. it's yours. Let me know later if you are interested. Now we have to figure out where Taylor'll go when he get's to town."

Callie, freshly washed and made up with some makeup Stephanie had found for her to use, sat there playing with a strand of her longish blond hair. Her eyes, looking more sea green now with the addition of the makeup, narrowed slightly as she tried to figure out if Ranger's was sincere or if he was throwing the offer out as a bribe to get her to go along with his plan.

"The offer is good," Ranger said quietly, as if reading the thoughts in her mind. "I made a promise to Stephanie that I would help you find a new life when your brother was caught."

"How do I know your job offer isn't just an excuse so you can keep an eye on me?" she queried. "I mean if I work for you then you'll always know where I am."

"True.. But not for the reason you think," he told her. "I do need someone with your skills in that office, and you will have the protection of the men working there if any of your brother's men escape capture. I would then be in keeping with the promise I made to Stephanie, to protect you and keep you safe."

"I'll have to think about it." She wasn't about to start trusting him just because he had complimented her skills and offered her a good job... But the offer did sound good and Stephanie seem to like working for the company.. Besides.. It might be nice being the only female in a office full of big somewhat sexy men.. She'd feel safe for once. That in itself was a big incentive for saying yes.

Ranger nodded his head and then turned back to the others. "Idea's?"

"Callie gave you a list of his old safe houses," Stephanie commented. "Do you think he'll go back to any of those. If he figures they're still safe?"

Ranger shook his head. "No. I don't think he'll go back to them. If he knows they were on the disk Callie had, then it's a good bet he'll know they aren't safe for him. We're going to put the word out to our snitches to let us know if they hear anything."

He looked around the room, resting his eyes on his three employee's for a moment until they all nodded. Then he turned back to Callie. "In the mean time.. Here's what we're going to do..."

He went on to explain how they were going to use Callie.. if she agreed to go along with the plan.. as bait. Ranger was going to send her back to her home to act as if she knew nothing about her brother having escaped, or that they suspected the roommate of being his accomplice.

"We don't want to tip off your roommate that we suspect she might be in contact with your brother. We're going to use her to get to him without her knowing we're on to her," Ranger explained to Callie and the others. "First Bobby is going to take Callie back to her home and.."

"I've been gone for two days," she interrupted, with a slight scowl. "How do we explain that so she won't think something was a miss?"

"And if the roommates ask," Ranger continued as if nothing was said. "You tell her that Bobby surprised you with a romantic trip for two to some secluded resort. It was a surprise he sprung on you at the last minute and he thought he had left a note to let the roommate know where you would be... but the big dumbie was in such a hurry to get you alone.. he forgot to drop the note off on the counter where she could find it.. He looks in the side pocket of his bag where he had put it,.. and low and behold.. it's still there... What an idiot... He's so sorry he worried her.."

"Wait a minute.. If Bobby claims he left a note for my roommate and is there to give it to Susan, then that means he's with me and I refused to have anything more to do with that lying pig," Callie stated, sitting up upright in her seat and folding her arms across her chest. Her eyes narrowing even further as she glared at Ranger, forgetting for a moment that he could be a very scary guy. "You'll just have to find some other way of doing this.. because I don't want to have anything to do with Bobby any more."

Ranger's expression didn't change as he glanced at her. Stephanie wondered if the girl was crazy. –NO one- interrupted Ranger when he was speaking.. or disagreed with him. "Bobby goes with you to protect you, or we keep you locked up here until your brother is caught. If we want your roommate to think she'd in the clear and we don't suspect her of being involved with Taylor, then we have to keep things the way they were. If you were to show up after being gone for two days without Bobby, or a good excuse, she would start to wonder. So Bobby goes with you, or you get to be our guest here."

"So I have to pretend he didn't rip my heart out or that everything I thought we had together was built on a lie.." she snorted. "Sorry but not even I'm that good an actress."

"Then you had better learn to be –that good- and fast," Ranger warned her, wondering if it would be better to go ahead and just lock her up until they found out where Drew Taylor was hiding out. There was someone else in danger from the man. Someone Ranger cared a great deal about. To make sure things went as smoothly as possible, he needed the girl's willing co-operation. "If your roommate notices something wrong between you, it could blow this whole operation wide open and your brother could get away.

"Shit.." Callie muttered and leaned her head backwards until her eyes were looking at the soft creamy beige swirls on the rooms ceiling. "I've always tried to be a nice person. I've always said my pleases and thank you's and ate all the peas on my plate without gagging or throwing them up. I was good to my parents before my psycho brother murdered them, and even helped little old ladies across the street! I've never even had a speeding ticket! So why is all this happening to me?"

She looked around the room, glaring slightly when her eyes fell on Bobby, and then continued on until finally she ended up on Ranger.

"Why do I have a brother who wants to kill me? Why does the best boyfriend I ever had turn out to work for a man who makes the Delta Force look like amateurs, and who's only real interest in me is to use me for bait in catching said psycho brother.. Please tell me.. What did I ever do to deserve this? How do I know who to trust?"

"Better question," Ranger's lips turned up in the quarter smile. "You have to ask yourself.. Who are you more scared of -us- who will protect you and keep you alive and safe... Or your brother who wants to make you suffer a lot before he kills you because he thinks you betrayed him?"

She gulped, blew out a long breath causing her bangs to lift up away from her forehead. Then rolled her eyes before looking back at Ranger. "Well if you're going to put it –that- way.. I'm more scared of Drew then you. But if Bobby thinks he's going to share my bed then he has another thing coming. You can sleep on the floor once we're behind closed doors. If you try to kiss me even once I'll... Used the stud gun Stephanie gave me on you. Understand!"

"Loud and clear," Bobby replied clearly , so she'd know he got her meaning. "I'll give you my word.. No kissing except when we're out in the public eye to make it look good.. And –No- kissing behind your bedroom doors.. even when you beg me too."

Stephanie didn't know weather to laugh or hit Bobby, but decided keeping quiet after seeing the look on Ranger's face was the best thing to do. So she did.

"Well I never!" Callie exclaimed.

Stephanie didn't know weather the girl was upset or embarrassed.

"Bobby." Ranger called his man to order.

"Callie.. I'm sorry. That was uncalled for," the tall blond headed man apologized, his voice sounding as sincere as his words were meant to convey. "I promise I won't bother you any more then I have to when we're out in public, and you'll be perfectly safe from me when we're alone. I won't try to force you to do anything against your will. I give you my word."

She looked at him for a full minute, there was sadness in her blue eyes. But when she spoke her voice was strong. "Okay.. I'll work with you until you take care of Drew. After that I'm gone from here."

The big guy nodded again. "I'll take care of you Callie, keep you safe from him and then when this is all over.. I swear I won't bother you again." Even though I'm in love with you woman and it hurts like hell to know I'm the reason you're hurting so much inside.' he thought to himself. Maybe when this was over she might give him the change to explain and tell her how sorry he really was, and beg her to let him make it up to her.Maybe she'd forgive him and maybe she wouldn't. He didn't know what he'd do if she told him to get lost.

"Okay.. Now that we agree on things.. Here's what we're going to do," Ranger went on to explain his plan. He wanted to use the Roommate with out her being the wiser. Set her up with some misleading information that hopefully she would then pass on to Drew Taylor.

"When he comes after you, my men will be waiting to take him down," He looked at Callie. "At no time will you be left alone. Even when Bobby has to leave, someone will be there keeping an eye on you."

Callie gulped, then took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "I want my life back and the only way I'll get that is if he's taken care of. So I'll work with you to see that that happens."

Stephanie took note of the words the woman used. Not -if he's caught- and back behind bars... but -if he's taken care of-. The two wordings had vastly different meanings. Something she could tell the three Rangeman employee's also took note of if the expression on their faces could be read by someone who knew then as well as she was beginning to.

Callie had given her permission to make sure Drew Taylor burned in hell for his crimes. Maybe she understood things a little better then Stephanie gave her credit for.

Her phone rang just then. -Bad boy bad boy what'ch'a gonna do..- filled the room. No one needed to look at the display to know who was calling. Joe Morelli.

She looked at Ranger who sat there at the head of the table looking back at her with a questioning look in his deep brown eyes. She shrugged. "I'll take this out in the hall." She said and left the room.

"Yo," she answered once she had flipped the cell open. It had been a few months since she had spoken to him. She'd seen him around the police station when she'd taken in a few FTA's, but he was usually busy talking to someone else or acted like he was. She didn't trying to strike up a conversation with him, only nod her head and go on with what she was doing.

"You hear the news?" he asked without even offering up a greeting. "Drew Taylor escaped from prison."

"Old news."

"Let me guess," Joe remarked dryly. "Ranger?"

"Yes.. well one of his contact's let him know late last night," she told him, leaving it at that. She didn't think Ranger would want her to tell Morelli that Callie Taylor was actually alive and had been for the last two years. He'd want to do the macho thing like.. take control of the job away from Ranger.. Who in Stephanie's mind had the better chance of keeping the girl alive and breathing. Not that Morelli was a bad cop.. because he wasn't. Far from it.. but she just thought Ranger was the best man for this job. He could do things Morelli's badge would stop him from doing. Things that could get Callie killed.

"So I suppose he'd got Tank or one of his other crazy men babysitting you."

"I'm staying here in one of the Rangeman apartments and have one of the guys going out with me to look for FTA's if that's what you mean." She knew what he meant, but wouldn't ask. He wanted to know if she was sleeping with Ranger. Well she wasn't going to answer his unasked question. And sure as hell wouldn't tell him about the deal she had made with her sexy boss, in exchange for helping Callie move on when this was all over.

"Cupcake.. you know you can always come stay with me," he told her. He still didn't trust Ranger after all the time they'd known each other. Especially around Stephanie. "Bob and I can keep you safe. Bob misses you."

"I don't think that would be a good idea," she reminded him. "The last time someone was after me, you threaten to chain me up in some safe house until I agreed to quit my job."

"So have you given it any more thought."

"No."

"You should before your boss's troubles rub off on you," he grunted.

"Are you worried about his trouble's rubbing off against me or Ranger himself," she said before she could stop herself, then hung up. When he called back she turned the phone off. She didn't want to get into it with him just then when she had other things to worry abut.

The door open then and the others came out. She swung around, hiding her cell phone behind her as if getting caught doing something she shouldn't have. A hold over from her childhood when she was always doing things she wasn't suppose to and didn't want to get caught.

Callie waved at Stephanie before following Bobby to the elevator and waiting for it to arrive. When they got on, the woman turned back to her telling her she'd see her later.

"Good luck.." Stephanie returned before the door slid shut and the light above the door indicated the car was on it's way down.

Ranger came out of the office just then and looked at her.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Same old, same old," she gave a eye roll. "He found out Drew Taylor escaped and wants me to come live with him so he can protect me.. Tried to use Bob missing me to make me feel guilty."

"Do you?"

"No."

"So you're going to stay here?"

"Yes."

"You know Babe, I can understand why Morelli wants to lock you up somewhere safe," Ranger commented, and he moved closer, forcing her back against the wall behind her. His hand came up, finger's gentle as he smooth back the same lock of hair that refused to stay in the band she had tied her wild hair up in. "I know because I want to do the same thing at times like this."

"But you wont," she stammered, her breath coming in slow shallow gasps. Her head tilted back, tongue came out to lick lips suddenly to dry.

"Babe.. you want me bad," Ranger chuckled softly as he leaned in close to a dropped a light kiss on her moisten lips. "Maybe later tonight when we get home if you're a good girl.. right now we have to go to work."

This time his kiss deepen, tongue and all and just when she thought her legs were going to give out on her, he lifted his head, grabbed hold of her arm and headed towards the elevator door.

"Come on.. We have someone we need to see."

"Can we make a stop by the donut shop on the way?"

"Babe.."

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMOR: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor.. The rest I'm just having fun with this..

_Rangersgirl__ --- You have a point...(Went back and checked) but to tell the truth.. it had been some time since I read that book.. and forgot she had used the name Bobby... I just used it because of an old friend from High school.. MANY years ago(who I had the wildest crush on) ... and also cause I just like the name... That's my story and I'm sticking to it -grin- _

_Oh and don't let the sappiness of this post fool you... Callie may seem happy now... but don't count on it lasting for long... Bobby would be boring if he'd happy all the time... It's more fun tormenting him... _

_ALL- Thank you for the reviews.. this has been fun for me! Your reviews have given me some ideas.. _

-Chapter nine-

Bobby & Callie

Bobby led Callie out of the elevator and to one of the black SUV's parked in the under ground garage. He opened the door for her, then stepped back allowing her to enter the vehicle on her own. He promised not to touch her when they were alone and he meant to keep that promise. Even if it killed him.

After closing the door, he went around to the drivers side and got in. "We'll need to stop by my apartment for a few minutes and get some of your clothes that are there," he told her as he turned the key and backed the SUV up. "If we show up at your place with no luggage Susan might get a little suspicious."

Callie thought about that. It seemed kind of silly since she had only been gone a day and a half. She brought it up.

"I wasn't gone that long.. It might look funny if I showed up with a suit case.. We could stop and get me a new t-shirt and tell her that we went for a drive.. found this cute little inn and decided to spend the night there. No wait... You took me to some quaint little cabin in the hills owned by a friend of yours... and you bought me the t-shirt the next day so I'd have something clean to wear."

"Works for me," he smiled, thinking she was pretty good at all this stuff. "In the mean time would you like to stop and get something to eat before we get to the house? I don't think you had to much to eat before Ranger dragged you into the conference room."

He was trying to be nice without being pushy.

"You don't have to be nice to me any more Bobby.. I know it was all a job to you," her voice was low, and he could hear the disappointment she tried to hide as she spoke. It nearly killed him to know he was the cause of it. "I'll do my part to act all mushy when we're around Susan. So don't worry I'll give you away. I want Drew caught more then you and your boss do."

"Callie.. It was always more then the job," he said softly, as he pulled out of the garage and turned left onto the street in front of the Rangeman building. "It was you. I know I was assigned to keep an eye on you.. and at first that's all it was.. but the more I watched you the more I wished you were someone else. Someone I met on the street.

Someone I wanted badly to get to know on my own, away from –the job-. I broke every rule Ranger has on the books when I asked you out. I've never done that before.. You threw me for a loop. No other woman has ever done that to me before... and I acted like a total jerk to you when you found me out."

She turned in the seat to look at him. Her eyes wary as she tried to decide if he was telling the truth this time, or if it was another of his lies to get her to go along with –the plan- without causing problems. She decided she wasn't finished be angry with him yet. He wasn't going to get off the hook that easily.

"You should have thought about that sooner," she snapped and turned to look out the window so she didn't have to see the look on his handsome face. He was telling the truth about his feelings for her, she decided, but he had hurt her deeply and she just didn't know if she could trust his about face so soon. He'd have to work at proving himself this time.

The rest of the ride was made in silence. About half way between the Rangeman building and the house Callie... umm.. Lisa.. was calling home, Bobby pulled the SUV over to a curb behind a man selling things out of the trunk of his car.

"Be right back," he said, releasing the seatbelt and open the door after looking to make sure no cars were coming.

Callie watched him, admiring the way he filled out the skin tight blue jeans he was wearing. Her breath caught as her eyes moved upwards to admire the way his back muscles rippled under the tight black t-shirt he wore, and had to fan herself when she started to over heat. This wouldn't do! How was she suppose to stay mad at him when the very sight of his jean clad ass set her heart to racing and hormones into over drive.

She was a sick woman, torturing herself with thoughts of getting Bobby naked and having a boink fest... She wanted to be on the bottom.. Callie loved the feel of his powerful body pressing against hers after the explosions started to settle down .. Big sigh! She blew out a big breath remembering his promise not to touch her... even if she begged him too.. as she watched him walk towards the man standing by the trunk of a beat up dark blue Olds. She kept watching as words were exchanged and saw Bobby picking up one t-shirt after another until he found the one he wanted.

He handed the man a few bucks, waved good-bye then came back to the SUV where he handed her the shirt before climbing back inside behind the drivers seat.

"I'll stop up here a ways at the gas station so you can change," he told her putting the SUV in gear before pulling out into traffic.

"I'll just save time and change here," she said, knowing she was playing with fire, as she pulled the shirt Stephanie had let her borrow up over her head leaving her sitting there half naked in the black Victoria Secrets bra that had come with the shirt. "After all the windows are tinted so no one can see me."

She smiled inwardly as she heard Bobby mutter something under his breath, and saw his grip on the steering wheel tighten until she was sure he was going to crush it with his grip.

"You know," she drawled slowly as she took her time pulling the new t-shirt over her head. Perversely, she raised her arms up, showing off the smooth skin of her middle as she shimmied in the seat causing the shirt to slither slowly downward until she had to lower her arms and pull it into place.

She smiled sweetly as her eyes cut a sideways glance at his profile where she could see her little performance had effected him. It did something funny to her too. Her head told her he was a lying jerk.. but her body was telling her mind to shut up. It had liked the things his had done to it. Liked it a lot. In fact she wished now she had never forced him to make that promise, for she feared once he gave his word... he would keep it. No matter how frustrated they both got.

Heavy sigh.. She'd come up with something. Might as well have some fun while they were waiting for her brother to show up... and try to kill her. A girl had to have her priorities in order after all. Right? And wasn't mind blowing sex with a with a well hung stud more important then being afraid of the murdering bastard of a brother?

"Before we get there, we should go over the story we're going to tell her one more time," Bobby's deep voice cut into her plotting.

"Let's see. You came like a thief in the night tied me up and kidnapped me, took me up to this isolated cabin in the hills that belongs to a friend of yours for a very romantic night of hot steamy kinky sex," she scooted over so that her body was almost glued to his and ran her hand over the wide plains of his massive chest, down across the tight muscle area just above his belt buckle, threatening to go lower but his hand caught hers and pulled it back up to his chest.

"Tease," he groaned, when she laughed, but did not move back to her side of the SUV. "You keep that up woman and... we may not make it home without crashing."

"Something wrong Bobby?" she asked, knowing she was playing with fire. She couldn't help herself. It was payback, she told herself. She wanted to see how far she could push him. It was a dangerous game

To Bobby if felt like torture. He loved the feel of her hands caressing his body. If it wasn't for that damn promise he'd made her.. He'd of pulled the SUV over to the side of the road and test out those tinted windows. "If you don't stop what you're doing sweetheart, I can't guarantee

We'll make it back home without crashing.. "

"I thought you were a tough guy Bobby... Trained to take torture and such from the enemy." Callie taunted, as Bobby turned the car into her drive way and shut the engine off.

An almost evilly sexy smile spread over his lips as he turned towards her. His left hand coming up to smooth back the hair that had fallen out of her braid. "You like playing with matches little girl?" he crooned softly in that oh so sexy bedroom voice of his. "You like the feel of the fires burn?"

"I do..don't know wha..what you m..mean," the girl stammered even as her breath caught and a warm tingle began to grow somewhere below her belt line. Fire no.. Molten lava... Damn Skippy!

"Don't you..?" Bobby countered and then before she knew what was happening, she found herself laying across his lap. "Think about it," he warned and his lips came down hard in kiss that at first was punishing and then seducing until her arms came up to circle his neck and her brain turned to mush.

The kiss went on and on pushing her anger to the far reaches of her mind and out the back door. She forgot that she shouldn't be allowing him to do this. She was still mad at him... But then again.. Did she really care? After all hadn't she just decided on the ride over here that she was going to use him to scratch an itch or several until her brother had been caught?

Boy was she itching...

She turned slightly, wanting to feel his hands on her body in certain places, but slowly noticed the kiss was ending and when she looked up to question why, she saw the smug grin on his face.

"Sorry... I know I promised not to touch you or get all mushy when we were alone," he said in a tone that lacked any real apology. "But Susan would have known right off that we hadn't spent the night making love.. you just didn't have that –I've been well and truly boinked look- about you. Now you do."

He dropped a well place kiss on her pouty lips and set her back on her side of the SUV. "Shall we go in now?"

"And you call me a tease.." Callie muttered angrily as she resettled her new t-shirt and waited for Bobby to come open her car door for her.

She was still glaring at him when he opened the door and helped her down –doing his besotted boyfriend gig- After he had closed the door behind her, Bobby pulled her back into his arms and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I know this is going to be hard for you to do.. And I'm sorry you have to go through it.. but it will all be over soon. I know you're strong enough to handle it, because you're a hell of a woman Callie Taylor, and I'm not about to let anything happen to you."

She looked up at him, for the moment all anger gone. Having him here with her –did- make her feel far safer then she had in a long time. Her arms went around his waist, unaware that the picture of the two of them standing there wrapped in each others arms made others who saw them, think they were in love. "I have your word on that?"

"Lady... my word you have.." he promised tenderly, pulling her tight against his hard body. "You also have my heart and soul..."

She turned her head and looked up at him. A question in her blue eyes. "You mean that don't you? It's not just words."

He looked down into her eyes, "Callie I'm not very good at expressing my feelings.. I wasn't raised that way and the life I lead hasn't allowed me to even consider settling down and finding someone I wanted to share my life with.. But the last two months I've been with you.. Make me want things I never thought I could want before. When this is all over.. My only hope is that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.."

Not trusting herself to speak, Callie instead reached up with her hands and pulled his head down until his lips were close enough to kiss.

When the kiss ended, Bobby's heart was racing. "Lady.. You keep kissing me like that and you can have anything you want.. A trip to Rio, A walk on the beach.. my credit cards, my first born child.. What ever you want.. you got it," he chuckled low in his chest causing the muscles there to ripple and Callie's heart to leap. Then with a wink he release her, keeping a hold of her hand as the two of them started to walk towards Callie's front door...

"Promises, promise," she whispered.

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMOR: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor, Drew Taylor and Martha Stewart (no not the cooking Martha..) .. The rest I'm just having fun with this..

Bowlingforshrimp- Callie's not done yet... she hasn't really forgiven Bobby.. she just wants her itches scratched... I got something coming up for the two of them. The water's going to get rocky in the next few chapters with them...

- Chapter 10 -

Ranger & Stephanie

We were in the car and Ranger was pulling out of the underground garage when I finally found I could speak again. His kisses sometimes did that to me. Made me into a blithering idiot. Damn. If Ranger could bottle the feeling he made women feel when he kissed them, all men would have to do is open the cork when they got into a fight with their woman and it would be like instant.. "Okay dear.. what ever you want."

Then again. Maybe it was a good thing it couldn't be sold in a bottle. Why give men the advantage.

"Where are we going?" I asked him as he sat there in the driver's seat of the Porsche he had chosen for our little tip.

"Who is it that you want to talk to?"

"Taylor's ex-wife," the master of short conversation said, as he took a right on Stark, and I sunk low in the seat hoping no one could see me in the car. It was a knee jerk reaction I know, but I couldn't help it. I still had nightmares when ever someone mention the name of this street and I drove past junkyards. I don't know why but then but gave me the creeps.

"Relax Babe," Ranger grinned. My reaction was amusing him. "I think the gang here is just as afraid of you as you are of them. Between you and Sally their whole gang was nearly eliminated."

I cut him a dirty look, but sat upright in the bucket seat. Of course my act of bravery didn't quiet make the kind of statement I was hoping for since Ranger had left Stark street two blocks back and continued on heading further away from the Berg.

"So what do you think Taylor's ex-girlfriend can tell us?" I asked.

"Not much. She hasn't seen him since she found out he was the one who killed his family. Seems finding out the love of your life and the man you wanted to father your child.. was a serial killer sort of turned her off to the idea. I'm just hoping she can think of some place he might go to hide out. Someplace they went together we don't know about." he told me, and I was surprised he had said so much at one time while he was behind the wheel.

Then he reached forward and pressed the button turning on the CD player and I knew from past experiences that was his sign for -shut up and let me drive in peace-. So I shut up until we got to where we were going. Was I a good side kick or what?

Martha Stewart didn't have anything to offer us. The whole meeting with her took about 20 minutes. She was a woman in her mid thirty's with hair that had once been light blonde, but was now turning darker, though it look like she'd just had it died so it would look lighter again.. She reminded me of her name sake.. you know the one I mean the one who went to jail for lying about selling her stocks. She was dressed in a flowery printed pant suit more suitable for teaching kids in school or coming from her local church then greeting total strangers at her door in the middle of the afternoon. Her skin was still soft and clear. Her make up light by Burg standards. I always hated women who's skin had never seen a pimple and Martha Stewart's skin had that -a pimple would never dare break out here- look to it. So I hated her right away. Very Grown up I know.

Ranger however was the soul of politeness to her. Which made me want to barf. He never spoke to me that way... guess because I don't have anything he wants.. Well maybe one thing.. but that doesn't count.

At lease not right now. Right now Ranger was all about the job. He knew he was hot and was using the hungry looks she was giving him to try and get information out of the woman.

What a ho. I gave a mental eye roll.

Well men could be ho's too!

"I'm really sorry but I can't think of one place we went that he might go back to," Martha Stewart said in a prim and proper tone, again reminding me of a school teacher. "Back then Drew didn't really like to go away and be to far from his work. He told me his parents counted on him and they weren't doing to well. We mostly stayed here. He said he liked coming home to a clean house with dinner on the table. He didn't want me to work."

"How did his parents look to you when you saw them?" I asked, thinking how much this woman reminded me of my own mother. Neither had even learn to fly. The life of a Burg woman.

I saw her green eyes (contacts for sure) turn in my direction for a second before she turned back to give Ranger the answer to my question.

"I hardly ever saw his parents," she admitted and did some fluffy movement type thing with her hand. "We didn't get alone very well. I never knew why, but Drew told me on more then one occasion his mother didn't think I was good enough for him so it was better if I didn't go over there with him. Now I guess now I'll never know why."

"How long were the two of you married," Ranger asked in one of the softest tones I'd ever heard him use before. Not even the time we'd settled our last deal. But then he wasn't doing much talking then. Ranger was a –hands on- kind of guy. He'd let his –hands- do the talking. And boy did they have plenty to say..

"Just over two years," she gave him a slight pout. "Just long enough for me to find out he was going through my money faster then a fat man with the runs. So I kicked him out and he threaten to kill me.. I had to hire a body guard and change all the passwords on my bank accounts. Right after that he was arrested and sent to prison for murdering his parents. The poor dears. I heard he killed his sister too... I didn't even know he had one."

We left soon after consuming the coffee cake that was standard fair in a Burg home. In that area, I'm sure our Martha Stewart could rival her name sake. The coffee cake was wonderful.

Ranger gave her one of his cards, asking her to call him if she heard from Taylor. I wanted to scratch her eyes out when I saw her give him the -I'd like to be naked in a bed with you playing you Tarzan, me Jane- look as she took the card from his hand.

I so hated seeing other women ogle the body I'd been in lust with since I'd known him. He was eating it up. I wonder how helpful she would be if I told her I'd already had what she wanted... Better not. I didn't want to end up dead.

Ranger thought he was hiding the fact that Taylor wanted to make me suffer bad before he killed me.. if he got a hold of me.. So I wouldn't freak out... I smiled.. Ranger did care about me.. even if it wasn't the Burg home and kids kind of love.. He was protecting me again. The difference was, while Morelli would have locked me up in a closet until Drew was caught and put back behind bars.. Ranger was allowing me to think I could make some choices. I was allowing him to act all macho because he did so quietly. Morelli would have been yelling at me by now wondering how he could be in love with a girl who colleted psycho killers like most woman collect shoes.

With Morelli it was all about him.. The guys down at the department laughed at him. He was upset because they took bets on how soon it would be before I blew up another car or when I would find another dead body. How was he suppose to get any respect with a disaster magnet as a girlfriend. Why couldn't he have a nice girl who was happy to stay home and give birth to a kid every other year and be happy doing so?"

Well That was something he didn't have to worry about any longer. I wasn't his girlfriend any more.

Ranger on the other hand gave me enough rope to fly with.. Even if he did hold onto the end of it just incase I headed for a crash landing. He was there to pick me up without telling me I needed to change my outlook on life. Well maybe once or twice he did tell me I needed to get into a new line of work... But that was before I came to work for him.. Still he was supportive and tried to helped me be better at what I chosen to do with my life. But even he came up with the occasional threat to lock me up...

He just did it in a way that still allowed me to -think- I was in charge of my life.

We were in the Porsche a short time later, headed who knows where, when I started thinking about our -deal- again. Now that I was a bit calmer, I was starting to wonder if I'd over reacted at the time I made the deal, or if I did so because secretly I wanted to be Ranger's sex slave. I had to fan myself just thinking about it.

"Babe," Ranger's amused tone cut into my thoughts. "If I promise to stop and buy you a couple of donuts will you get your mind back on the job?"

"I don't know what you mean," Liar, liar pants on fire.

His full lips curved upwards in a knowing smile as he turned the Porsche right on the highway leading back to the Burg. "You've been sitting there since we left wondering if you could get away with doing something bad to Martha Steward because of the looks she was giving me. She thought I was hot."

"Was not!" I denied a little to quickly. "I was thinking about our deal.. I mean.. I was wondering if.. Well if you were actually going to make me stick to it because.. well I made it under distress and.."

"Babe.." he flashed me the full 200 watt smile and I felt a hot flash all the way down to my dodah. "You know me well enough by now to know I -always- collect on deals I make. Remember that as you try to think of a way to get out of it."

"I wasn't.." I started to say, but he flashed me that knowing look again and I shut up.

"Right now I want you to get your mind on the job," he continued on. "Until Taylor is caught, I want you to take someone with you when you go out side the Rangeman building. And I would prefer you didn't go to your apartment unless someone goes with you to check it out."

"Is that an order?" I felt my heckles rising.. I –really- hated being ordered to do anything.

"Not right now it's not," he replied in a tone I recognized as -but give me an excuse and I'll make it one- "Taylor's out there and I worry abut you being out there on your own with no back up. He did try to kill you the last time he was in town."

"And would have," I remembered. My tone changed as my heckles went back to normal. I didn't want him to think I'd forgotten how much I owed him for saving my life that night.. as well as countless other nights. "If you hadn't broken into my apartment on the same night..."

I turned to look at him. "I'll be careful. Don't worry. I'm scared enough right now to let you and the merry men protect me. Besides what would my mother say if he killed me..."

I did a quick imitation of my mother. "-What did I do to deserve this.. My friend's daughters don't ever have to worry about being killed by a psycho or finding dead bodies in their apartments! Why me?"- Then I slipped back into my own voice. "I'll be careful. I don't want to die just yet."

"That's good Babe," he cut me a look that set my heart to pounding so loud I'm sure he could hear it. "I mean to collect on the deal. It would be hard to do if you go and get yourself killed."

Before I could answer with a flip sarcastic answer, Ranger's cell phone rang and he answered it.

"Yo." Said the master of the worlds shortest conversation.

He listen for a few seconds then said, "We're heading back now. Make sure all the doors and windows are locked... Martha... Martha.. SHIT!"

He hit redial and turned to me as he sped the Porsche back towards her house. "Call Morelli and tell him to get someone out to Taylor's ex-wives house. The phone just went dead after she told me Taylor called her to say he was coming over to kill her."

He tried the phone again while I pulled out my cell phone and hit speed dial number two. I hadn't gotten around to deleting the selection yet.

Morelli answered the call and before he could say anything I began to speak. "Shut up and listen. I'm reporting an emergency. Matter of life and death kind of thing," I told him just as Ranger pulled a fast u-turn, and before the conversation with Morelli could go from bad to worse.

"Ranger and I just left Drew Taylor's ex-wife's house a few minutes ago and she just called him to let him know that Taylor called her and threaten to kill her. We're on our way back there now." I quickly told him what was going on and he promised to get units dispatched out to Martha Steward's house right away.

"_Shit.. How credible do you think the call was?"_ Morelli asked. _"We tried to talk to her after Ranger caught Taylor breaking into your apartment to kill you.. and she wouldn't tell us anything."_

She remembered how royally pissed he had that night when he found out Ranger had been in her apartment so late at night, and that he had saved her life... again.

Ranger's cell rang again and he was quick to answer it. "Tell Morelli that Taylor is there now trying to break in the front door. We're about five away."

"_I heard.. We should have a few units there soon and I'm on my way,"_ he told her then added. _"Let Ranger handle the take down. Don't take any chances Cupcake, the guy wants to kill you and I'd rather not have to be the one to explain your death to your mother."_

I hung up the phone before I could tell him what I thought of his statement. I'd have a few things to say to him later about his lack of support.. or not.. but right now I turned my attention to the job.

Ranger was still on the phone trying to calm Martha Steward down as he turn the Porsche back into her subdivision. I heard a scream come from the cells ear piece, and then Ranger calling her name over and over. Finally he was quiet, but I saw the angry thinning of his lips, and the white of his knuckles as he listen to the person on the other end. Then he hung up.

"Some of a bitch. I'm going to kill that man before this is over," he said and I knew he meant it.

I could never prove it, but I know Ranger had once killed a man who had stocked me and then tried to kill me. The man had been crazy. Jail never would have stopped him from finishing the job. Only with his death was I safe from him. It was something Ranger and I never talked about and there was no way I was going to come out and ask him... But I knew.

"Did you remember your gun this time?" he asked in a -you had better say yes or you will pay for it- tone of voice.

I nodded, quickly reaching into my big black bag, I pulled out a web belt and began to load it up with the tricks of the trade. Stun gun, pepper spray, cuff and then I added a few plastic ones. You never knew when you might need them. A small flashlight went into one pocket and then last but not lease, I pulled out my gun and as I checked the clip to make sure I'd remembered to load it with bullets, Ranger nodded with approval. Then I made sure it was secure in it's holster. When I was done, I sat there and waited for Ranger to make the final turn that would lead us back to the home we had just left.

"Are you wearing a vest?" he asked as Stewart's house came into view.

"Damn Skippy," I muttered as I reached for the seatbelt to unbuckle it.

"Proud of you Babe," he grinned. "That means you're scared enough to be careful."

"Told you.." I said when he'd come to a stop. "I'm not ready to die yet."

I had my door open and one foot outside on the ground when Ranger shut the engine off and pocketed the keys all in one motion, and he still beat me to the front of the Porsche.

"Cover the back, and be careful," he told me as we separated and I raced around to the side of the house, praying I wouldn't pee my pants. I was that scared but so did not want Ranger to think less of me, so I ignored my bladder.

There was no gate blocking my line of sight, but I still felt kind of silly as I sprang around the corner of the home with a bad imitation of a two handed Charlie's Angel grip on my gun. I scanned the back yard to make sure no one was hiding behind any bushes, and was relieved to find the yard empty, as there wasn't any bushes in the yard to hide behind. In fact the back yard didn't have anything in it except for the grass covering the ground.

So –carefully- I made my way to the back door, and noticed when I got there that the door was open. Not because Martha Steward had forgotten to close and lock it.. But because someone with a large foot had kicked the shit out of it. Cautiously I stepped inside the space where the splinted remains of the wood door used to occupy and repeated the two handed gun action as I scanned the room. Not finding anyone hiding under the kitchen table or under one of the clean glasses drying in the sink drain, I cross the room heading for the only doorway leading into the house and as I rounded the door edge I saw Ranger ahead of me, gun in hand, coming out of one of the rooms.

"He's gone," he told me. "The house is clear."

"Martha?" I asked, already knowing the answer to my question, but hoping I was wrong.

"She's dead," Ranger replied, anger laced his words as he shoved his gun back into it's holder. "It's not pretty Babe. You might want to go back outside and wait in the Porsche until the cops get here."

It must be bad if Ranger wanted me to go outside. So of course I had to see what Taylor had done to his ex.

"Babe.." Ranger shook is head as if understanding, but not liking what I was about to do. He stepped aside so I could get by him, but I could tell by the look on his face, he'd been hoping to spare me.

I was afraid there would be a blood bath in the living room, but surprisingly there was just a little blood. It pooled in the lap of the shirt she had been wearing. I couldn't tell how she had been killed. There was something there blocking me from seeing.

I moved closer to take a look at her. She was sitting upright in a kitchen chair and her arms were pulled behind her, tied together by something I couldn't yet see. What held my attention was the paper cut out that had been placed over her face. Taped to the middle of the cut out was a note.

I moved even closer so I could read the words someone.. Taylor.. had written there. There were two words that simply read -You're next-.

I took a step back, knowing somehow the words were meant for me. My hand came up, I don't even remember lifting it, but there it was reaching to remove the note so I could see the face I knew I was going to see staring back at me on the cut out.

"Careful Babe," Ranger's soft, but sharp word cut into my thinking. "You don't want to ruin any finger prints that might be on the note. The cops get upset when you do that."

I nodded without really thinking, and reached into one of the pockets on the web belt, pulled out a pair of latex gloves. After I put them on, I again reached to lift the note up... and my knees nearly gave out when I stared at a likeness of my own face.

I felt Ranger's hand on my shoulder, and didn't fight him as he led me over to the sofa and forced me to sit down. When he pushed my head down between my legs, I could have hugged him as the dizziness left me after a few moments, and I was able to think again.

"I'm sorry Babe," he said softly, wrapping his strong arm around me when I finally sat up again. "I was hoping to spare you from seeing that."

"I know," I said, leaning into him for the support he offered. "But I had to see for myself."

"Now will you let me lock you up until we catch him" Ranger asked hopefully.

"No," I told him, but he already knew I was going to say that. "But I will promise not to go anywhere without you or one of the guys with me."

"Good. Because I was about to make it an order," he said then kissed the top of my head.

Before I could reply, we heard the sounds of cars pulling to a stop outside and knew the cavalry was here. Question time.

"Are you sure your okay Babe?" Ranger hugged me with both arms and I had to admit, I didn't want him to let me go. I hadn't felt so safe or warm since this whole thing started.

"Yeah.." I nodded and wiped my eyes. It just wouldn't do for the cops coming in to see me crying like a baby. "Just promise me you'll get the bastard."

He titled my head around so I was looking at him and planted a soft tender kiss on my lips. "That is something I can promise you Babe."

He kissed me again as if to seal the promise, then we stood up as the cops entered the room with guns drawn. They saw Ranger, whom they seem to know, and put their guns away. That's when they first caught sight of Martha Stewart.

"She'd dead. Drew Taylor, the victim's Ex called her and told her he was going to kill her. He and was gone when we got here," he told them.

The cops led us outside onto the front porch and Ranger stood checking out the area, while I chose to sit in one of the tastily decorated lawn chairs Martha Stewart had on her front porch. The CSI team had arrived moments ago and were already starting to do their thing inside. I was more then willing to let them. Hanging around a dead body with my face staring back at me wasn't high on my list of fun things to do with my life.

God! What if my mother found out about this!

We both answered questions for about half an hour. When I noticed Ranger leaving out a few details he didn't seem to want to offer up, I followed his lead.

I mean there wasn't any –real- reason they needed to know that Callie Taylor was still among the living, or that we had someone protecting her. Why give away our edge and best chance of catching Taylor. The cops would only screw things up if they got involved. To many cooks and all that.

I wanted Taylor caught more then anyone. Well maybe with the exception of his sister. We'd have to go together and celebrate after he was taken into custody or some other way taken care of... By then someone in the mall should have a shoe sale going on.

I felt Ranger come up behind me just as a second black SUV pulled in behind the cops. "I can get Tank to take you back to the office if you'd rather not deal with Morelli right now."

"Thanks.. I wasn't looking forward to having him yelling at me just now," I gave him a weak grin, and let him lead me over to where Tank was leaning against the side of the SUV.

"Take her back to the office and don't let her out of your sight until I get back. I'm going to stay here and see what I can find out from the cops, then deal with Morelli when he gets here. No FTA's or visits to the mall." Ranger told him and Tank looked at me and grinned. I grinned back.

"Sure boss. I'll protect Bombshell as if she was my very own.. ah pet lab." He added after getting a dirty look from his boss.

Ranger turn to go but then stopped and turned back. "Make a stop on your way and buy Steph a few donuts."

Tank tuned to look at me and while I'll admit.. I wasn't at my best right now... Who would be after seeing what I just saw.. Still I didn't think I looked –that bad-. Then he turned back to Ranger. "Are you sure you want to chance that boss. I kind of like her quiet like she is now. Why give her sugar and take the chance of her recharging?"

Ranger's lips turned up in the ghost of a grin.

"Your call." He turned then and went back to where a beat up old tan cop car was pulling to a stop behind the crime lab truck.

I was quiet until we were half way home. I was thinking. Which sometimes people claimed got me into trouble. But I always though I came up with a few good ideas. I usually though better after a few donuts and was starting to worry that Tank really wasn't going to stop.

"Tank?" I leaned over so my head was laying against his shoulder.

"Bombshell.."

"Do you like me?" I asked him.

"Yes I like you."

"I mean do you –really- like me."

"Yes Bombshell I –really- like you," he replied and I could see he was wondering where this was going.

"Well if you –REALLY- like me... can I have a donut..."

What I REALLY wanted was a gallon of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream...

But a donut would work.

-----------------------------------

To be continued...


End file.
